Tens of thousands of U.S. military personnel and their families are among the millions living under new restrictions on activity in Germany and Italy, as the two countries grapple with containing the spread of the coronavirus.

Europe saw further signs of hope in the coronavirus outbreak Sunday as Italy's daily death toll was at its lowest in more than two weeks and its infection curve was finally on a downward slope. In Spain, new deaths dropped for the third straight day.

“The closure is being done in the best interest of our” gate guards, said Sandra Archer, an 86th Airlift Wing spokeswoman.

A Marine spouse's parody version of "Think of Me," filmed at Patch Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany, has drawn lots of attention online.

The delivery of ventilators and personal protection equipment was the result of a phone call Monday between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, a State Department spokeswoman said.

The Army has halted its long-planned transition to the Army Combat Fitness Test, after on-base gym closures made it difficult for many soldiers to train with the strength equipment the test requires.

Belarus says it will launch a series of military drills in response to Defender-Europe 20, the U.S.-led exercise that was scaled back to such an extent over coronavirus concerns that even Moscow nixed its own countermaneuvers.

The Navy is shutting schools, child development centers and base gyms at Naval Support Activity Naples, and cancelling “base group activities” starting Tuesday, joining Army and Air Force efforts to fight the spread of the coronavirus in Italy.

Shoppers at grocery stores and the few other establishments that have remained open in Italy during its nationwide lockdown to fight the coronavirus are now required to wear a mask or scarf over their nose and mouth, the Italian government mandated Friday.

The 1,000-square-mile Chernobyl Exclusion Zone was established after the April 1986 disaster at the plant that sent a cloud of radioactive fallout over much of Europe.

Check out our map with info on what's closed and canceled at bases across Europe.

Aviano held the seventh in a series of near-daily virtual town halls Tuesday to address the coronavirus. And judging by the scope and amount of questions posted on Facebook, people who live and work on base can’t get enough of the online briefings. A big question: Is it OK to take your kids or dog for a walk?

The choir students’ a capella performance of “Heavenly Father” by the indie folk band Bon Iver struck a strong emotional chord for viewers worldwide.

Millions of dollars in additional funds are being made available to agencies around the world that provide aid to Holocaust survivors, whose advanced age and health issues makes them particularly vulnerable to the new coronavirus.

U.S. Garrison Italy is located in Veneto, one of Italy’s hardest hit regions, with 6,442 infected by the virus and 36 killed as of Wednesday, according to regional authorities.

U.S. Special Operations Command Europe is aiming to make inroads in a region where Russian influence remains strong.

Expanded testing for the coronavirus at the Army’s garrison in Stuttgart has confirmed more infections there than in the military communities in Japan, South Korea and the rest of Germany combined, and found some unusual virus symptoms.

A man who worked for more than 30 years at the Theater Logistics Support Center Europe died of complications related to the coronavirus, officials said.

Brothels in U.S. European Command’s hometown of Stuttgart were among a slew of sites that city officials have ordered to close their doors to help in the fight against the coronavirus.

The Army in Stuttgart said it can no longer release the number of coronavirus cases based on a Defense Department directive that cited operational security concerns.

One of the largest U.S. Army commands in Europe has placed thousands of soldiers, family members, civilians and contractors within its area of responsibility under a 10 p.m.-to-5 a.m. curfew in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

The commander of the Army’s 21st Theater Sustainment Command signed the temporary policy Saturday placing hookah lounges, movie theaters and some restaurants off-limits, after a second service member in Europe tested positive for coronavirus.

The Pentagon’s largest hospital overseas recently ramped up its testing capacity to process hundreds of coronavirus tests per day if need be, officials said, as the number of confirmed cases continued to climb in the U.S. military community in Europe.

Saudi Arabia sharply criticized Russia on Saturday over what it described as Moscow blaming the kingdom for the collapse in global energy prices, showing the tensions ahead of an emergency meeting of OPEC and other oil producers.

A third person connected to the military community in Stuttgart has tested positive for the coronavirus, and about 100 people are in self-isolation awaiting virus test results, Stuttgart’s garrison commander said.

Base leadership said the unusual visit was a reminder that Americans are expected to follow Italian guidelines — on base and off.

A 32-year-old Kaiserslautern man has contracted the coronavirus and 17 others are in self-quarantine after being in contact with him, city health officials said Friday.

The soldier, a sergeant with the 207th Military Intelligence Brigade, was expected to be released from Italy’s San Bortolo Hospital and recuperate at an isolation barracks on Caserma Ederle, base officials said Friday.

Planes belonging to the 86th Airlift Wing’s 37th Airlift Squadron at Ramstein Air Base have continued making regular forays for airdrops and other training despite limitations due to the COVID-19 epidemic.

The number of coronavirus cases has surged in Stuttgart, where 21 members of the military community were infected as of Thursday night, garrison officials said. More than 230 other people are in isolation.

The Defense Commissary Agency said individual commissaries may also need to limit purchase quantities of some products. Restrictions on hand sanitizers and other products have been ongoing at stores overseas.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office said he is being admitted for tests because he still has symptoms 10 days after testing positive for the new coronavirus.

The aviation company's chief executive Guillaume Faury said the delivery of 4 million masks was mainly for governments and medical services.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Friday that warring parties in 11 countries have responded positively to his appeal for a global cease-fire to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

The main base in the largest overseas U.S. military community has reduced flight operations, shuttered base services and canceled group official functions as it tries to keep the coronavirus at bay.

Lombardy vice governor Fabrizio Sala said cellphone date showed 38% of the region's people were out and about — the highest figure since March 20.

The TGV-turned-mobile-intensive-care-unit is just one piece of France’s nationwide mobilization of trains, helicopters, jets and even a warship, deployed to relieve congested hospitals and to shuffle hundreds of patients and hundreds more medical personnel into and out of coronavirus hot spots.

Russia plans to deploy a next-generation radar to its military exclave of Kaliningrad and use it to counter emerging U.S. hypersonic weapons systems, state media reported.

In Kaiserslautern, the largest city in an area where about 50,000 Defense Department personnel and their families live, city officials late Monday ordered numerous businesses to close and banned gatherings of more than 75 people until July 10.

A third person has been detained in a anti-terrorism investigation in France over a knife attack south of Lyon that left two people dead, authorities said Sunday.

Airlines grappling with their biggest peacetime crisis face a European Union legal headache after offering customers vouchers instead of immediate refunds for flights canceled amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 52nd Fighter Wing has been taking advantage of crystal-clear, sunny days in southwestern Germany and launching F-16 sorties as part of a combat readiness exercise — modified, of course, because of the coronavirus.

Lt. Gen. Christopher Cavoli and several staff members are now in self-quarantine following last week’s meeting, U.S. Army Europe confirmed in a statement.

The Army has barred troops based in Italy from taking new assignments or attending military schools in the U.S. in an effort to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.

Pregnant Americans living in Vicenza will have to deliver their babies without spouses or other support people present because the local Italian hospital, with restrictive new rules to prevent coronavirus spread, is the only option.

U.S. military families here are facing a third week of coronavirus-related school, day care and other closures at the same time they were told they could expect a two-week quarantine if they travel to the United States.

U.S. European Command said Wednesday that the training, which initially called for sending 20,000 U.S.-based soldiers across the Atlantic Ocean, would be downsized.

Coronavirus testing at the Army garrison in Stuttgart, Germany briefly expanded to include symptom-free people who live in on-base apartment buildings or work in customer service, as the military tried a new strategy to stem the spread of the virus, officials said.

The oft-proclaimed solidarity among nations waging battle against the pandemic has been tested — if not shattered — by national and corporate self-interest.

“We don’t know exactly what the future holds,” said U.S. European Command’s Gen. Tod Wolters. “Can we do this in perpetuity? We would be challenged. But we are preparing for worst-case scenarios with respect to the potential spread.”

Bells tolled in Madrid’s deserted central square and flags were lowered in a day of mourning Monday as Spain raced to build field hospitals to treat an onslaught of coronavirus patients.

The 31st Fighter Wing has 134 people in isolation or self-quarantine and has instructed everyone to keep their distance from others in public amid coronavirus concerns, officials said during a virtual town hall meeting.

A man wielding a knife attacked residents of a French town while they ventured out to shop amid a nationwide coronavirus lockdown Saturday, killing two people and wounding five others in an act that led authorities to open a terrorism inquiry.

Europe Quick Trips

The medieval city walls couldn’t keep the Black Death out of Frankfurt in the 14th century, nor could they stop the next plague about 250 years later. If they still stood, they wouldn’t protect the city’s inhabitants from today’s coronavirus, either.

French submarine missions last 60 to 70 days, with about 110 crew members aboard. So a crew that left at the end of February wouldn't be expected back before the end of April.

The food court at the base exchange was a ghost town Thursday. No milk was being frothed for cappuccinos at Aviano’s coffee shops, and nothing was cooking at the golf course or bowling alley grill.

An activist doctor who had criticized Russia's response to the coronavirus outbreak was forcibly detained as she and some of her colleagues tried to deliver protective gear to a hospital in need.

“It’s evidence why this airfield and us being mission ready is so important,” said Maj. Sarah Babcock, 31st Fighter Wing spokeswoman. “We’re always ready to support our partners during these challenging times.”

The United States says it has delivered 128 anti-tank Javelin missiles to Estonia as part of a larger contract with the Baltic NATO member and the U.S. Department of Defense.

The doctors and nurses on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic in Italy are almost unrecognizable behind their masks, scrubs, gloves and hairnets — the flimsy battle armor donned at the start of each shift as the only barrier to contagion.

As increasing numbers of European hospitals buckle under the strain of tens of thousands of coronavirus patients, the crisis has exposed a surprising paradox: Some of the world's best health systems are remarkably ill-equipped to handle a pandemic.

Analysis

Vladimir Putin's surprise move to allow himself to remain as president until 2036 caught even many Kremlin insiders off guard, leaving some feeling deceived by his motivation for changing the constitution.

Since President Aleksandar Vucic announced an open-ended state of emergency on March 15, parliament has been sidelined, borders shut, a 12-hour police-enforced curfew imposed and people over 65 banned from leaving their homes

More than 150 people have volunteered for an on-base grocery shopping and delivery program to help those whose movement is limited under Italy’s coronavirus restrictions.

The 31st Fighter Wing at Aviano Air Base in Italy should soon be able to test for the coronavirus on base, officials said at a virtual town hall meeting.

As the number of infections has grown to more than 1.1 million worldwide, health care systems are straining under the surge of patients and lack of medical equipment like ventilators as well as protective masks and gloves, giving rise to growing concerns about the exposure of hospital personnel.

A district in the Czech capital, Prague, went ahead on Friday with a plan to remove the statue of a Soviet World War II commander. The Russian embassy in Prague condemned the move.

Operation Fun/GDT (Get Down Tonight) features music played over the base’s loudspeakers, known as the Giant Voice, at 6 p.m. two nights a week, as residents get a chance to wave hellos and bob along.

Australian authorities pressed ahead Saturday with plans to fly 800 cruise ship passengers to Germany this weekend after a downward revision in the number of people on board who needed to be tested for the coronavirus.

The Army and Air Force Exchange Service is asking customers to pay with credit and debit cards, not cash, saying it will help protect people from the coronavirus.

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered most Russians to stay off work until the end of the month as part of a partial economic shutdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

At a cavernous convention center that has become Spain's largest makeshift hospital, many acts of kindness and camaraderie are helping to make the days and nights more bearable for patients afflicted with COVID-19.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Russian prison authorities denied protective health gear for Michigan's Paul Whelan, who remains in solitary confinement in Moscow as his espionage trial is delayed, his family said.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday that the organization's security capabilities have not been diminished by the coronavirus, amid suspicion that Russia might try to use the impact of disease to probe the military alliance's defenses.

The two former U.S. Army soldiers met in Ukraine, where they joined the same far-right paramilitary group. After getting deported, they planned to take a boat from Miami to South America. They wanted to fight the socialist Venezuelan government and kill "communists."

The Russian capital’s 12.7 million people were ordered to stay home starting Monday, with limited exceptions, in the strictest measures yet imposed in a major Russian city.

Britain's Prince Charles remotely opened a temporary hospital for COVID-19 patients at London's main exhibition center Friday that can accommodate up to 4,000 people as the number of coronavirus-related deaths reported in the U.K.. surpassed China's official total.

Britain's National Health Service, the cornerstone of the nation's post-war welfare state, will be stretched to the breaking point in the coming weeks as hospitals treat an expected tsunami of critically ill patients.

The world in 1919 was hardly a place for fun and games. War had ravaged Europe, killing untold millions. The Spanish flu pandemic was waning with some 50 million people dead worldwide. And then the Inter-Allied Games was born to bring together nations in some traditional — and not so traditional — sports.

The coronavirus pandemic is defining for the globe what's “essential” and what things we really can't do without, even though we might not need them for survival.

The number of confirmed coronavirus infections worldwide topped 600,000 on Saturday as new cases stacked up quickly in Europe and the United States and officials dug in for a long fight against the pandemic.

The government of Bosnia and Herzegovina says that Adem Kostjerevac raped a pregnant Serbian prisoner in 1992.

The Singer Laren museum east of Amsterdam says "Spring Garden" by the Dutch master was taken in the early hours of Monday.

At age 18, Manolis Glezos and a friend and fellow university student, Lakis Santas, climbed up the Acropolis in Athens at night and cut down the Nazi flag.

The European Union announced Tuesday the launch of a new naval mission in the Mediterranean Sea aimed at enforcing the U.N. arms embargo on Libya, after Italy blocked a previous operation claiming that the warships attracted migrants to Europe's shores.

Deep into the global coronavirus pandemic, NATO is taking an unconventional approach to its daily operations: packing senior leadership into conference rooms to push on with some of its business as usual.

Angela Merkel is reasserting her traditional strengths and putting her stamp firmly on domestic policy after two years in which her star seemed to be fading.