⁍ England’s ‘tiered’ approach to reining in the coronavirus appears to be working, Britain’s foreign minister said on Friday.

---

⁍ France and Germany prepared rules almost as strict as their spring lockdowns and EU leaders warned of wider curbs.

---

⁍ Belgium, one of Europe’s worst-affected countries, recorded an average of 15,316 new infections per day in mid-October.

---

– The deadly strain of coronavirus that has spread from Asia to Europe has now killed at least 1,178 people and sickened more than 44 million, Reuters reports. The latest death was announced in Austria on Friday, bringing the global death toll to 1,178 and the number of infections to 44.94 million, according to the World Health Organization. The disease, which has a fatality rate of around 50%, is a cousin of the common cold. According to the New York Times, it was first detected in birds in China in December. Since then, the disease has spread to every continent but Antarctica. In the US, 21 states reported at least 91,248 new cases on Thursday, the highest number recorded since the pandemic began, and 355 deaths, Reuters reports. In England, which is part of Britain, new infections increased by around 51,900 per day last week, up nearly 50% from the week before. But Britain’s foreign secretary says the country’s “tiered” approach to fighting the disease appears to be working, Reuters reports. “We’ve seen some evidence since we started putting in place this tiered approach that the rate of increase has slowed,” he says. “What we are guided by is the rate of the virus.” France and Germany announced new lockdowns this week as infections in Europe passed the 10 million milestone. Bars, restaurants, sports, and cultural events have been restricted or closed in several European countries. “Given the very dynamic situation in all of Europe, we need to equally reduce contact in almost all European countries,” German Health Minister Jens Spahn says.