German Chancellor Angela Merkel (Odd Andersen/Pool via AP)

"Local lockdowns" will be introduced to tackle regional outbreaks of coronavirus in England in the future, the health secretary has said. Matt Hancock suggested restrictions will be introduced in areas with "flare-ups", but not others, as part of a system being put in place. He did not specify a time frame, but said the measures will be part of the test, track and trace system.

Swiss authorities announced plans to remove its highest level of warnings by June 19 and will gradually begin to ease preventive measures as long as certain precautionary measures are respected.

In Poland, people will be allowed to go outside without protective masks from May 30 and cinemas, theatres and gyms will reopen on June 6, the government said on Wednesday, part of a steady lifting of restrictions imposed to halt the spread of the new coronavirus.

Moscow city, worst hit by COVID-19 in Russia, will ease restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of the pandemic from Monday, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on his website. Sobyanin said that he had signed a decree, according to which many trade and service enterprises will resume work from Monday (June 1), and city residents will be able to go for walks, albeit with restrictions.

Washington DC will officially enter phase one of reopening on Friday, May 29, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announced during a Wednesday press conference. Mayor Bowser says the city has sustained a 14-day decline of new COVID-19 cases, and other metrics have been met to safely begin to slowly reopen the city and lift the stay-at-home order effective Friday. Washington has not allowed events to take place until the state of health emergency ends on July 24.