WITH surging confirmed COVID-19 cases, European nations adopted a raft of further measures on Sunday to peg back the contagion, as German Chancellor Angela Merkel has put herself in quarantine after a doctor she met Friday tested positive.

Italy, which has been hit hardest by the epidemic in Europe, saw no abatement in the spread of the novel coronavirus Sunday. The sum of infections, deaths and recoveries now stands at 59,138, up from 53,578 on Saturday, according to the Health Ministry. The authorities also confirmed that 12 Civil Protection staff members have tested positive.

Meanwhile, France has seen its first coronavirus death among health staff. A doctor from Compiegne hospital in l’Oise, one of the worst affected regions in the country, died of infection Saturday, said Director General of Health Jerome Salomon. France has confirmed 16,018 coronavirus infection cases, 35 percent of whom are aged under 65.

In Spain, the number of confirmed cases rose to 28,572 on Sunday, and 1,720 people have lost their lives to the disease. The Czech Republic, North Macedonia and Romania recorded their first deaths from the COVID-19 on the same day.

Also on Sunday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel decided to immediately quarantine herself at home and take tests over the next few days after she was informed that the doctor who gave her a pneumococcal vaccination was diagnosed with COVID-19.

In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Sunday that his government was seeking to extend the current state of emergency, which was declared March 14, for another 15 days after the end of the initial period. (Xinhua)