Italy saw its death toll from the coronavirus surpass 5,400 on Sunday, while the number of fatalities in Spain rose by 30 per cent in its largest single-day increase.

The number of people who have died in Italy rose by 651 — an increase of 13.5 per cent but down on the figure from Saturday, when 793 people died.

The hardest-hit region, Lombardy, remained in a critical situation, with 3,456 deaths as of Sunday.

Meanwhile, the number of deaths from Covid-19 in Spain rose by nearly 400 in its largest one-day jump to date.

More than 1,700 people diagnosed with the coronavirus have now died in Europe’s second worst-hit country, according to the Spanish health ministry.

France – where the death toll stood at 562 on Saturday – reported its first known death of a doctor from the coronavirus.

Several European countries moved to tighten their restrictions in a bid to combat the spread of the virus, with Germany – where more than 23,000 people have tested positive –​ banning all public gatherings of more than two people unless it is to work on the coronavirus crisis.

“The danger lies in the direct social interaction,” the state premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, Armin Laschet, said, adding that the federal government and regional states had agreed on the stricter rules.

Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel, was to enter quarantine after coming into contact with a doctor who had tested positive for the coronavirus, her spokesman said on Sunday.

Ms Merkel will continue to work from home and will submit to repeated tests over the next few days, although it is too soon for a conclusive test result at the moment.

She received a vaccine against pneumococcus, a pneumonia-causing bacteria, on Friday from a doctor who later tested positive for the coronavirus.

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Meanwhile, the Spanish prime minister said he would ask parliament to extend the two-week-long state of emergency to deal with the pandemic.

Pedro Sanchez said his government wanted to prolong restrictions on movement that were introduced on 14 March for 15 more days.

In Greece, a curfew will be imposed, while Italy’s government is expected to pass a decree further tightening lockdown measures.

However, not all countries moved to increase restrictions. In Bulgaria, the president blocked an emergency law that would have closed schools and restaurants, as well as given the army power to enforce quarantine measures.

Rumen Radev, a former air-force commander, said the strict measures would increase anxiety and a sense of crisis among people already worried about the country’s lack of resources to deal with the virus, adding: “No battle is won through fear.”