A review of lockdown procedures will take place later this week. (PA via AP)

The UK will enter its fourth week of lockdown after the Easter bank holiday weekend with a confirmed coronavirus death toll of more than 11,000 people.

A review of lockdown measures will take place later this week.

UK ministers have said they want to be sure the country is past the peak of the outbreak before easing the restrictions, but 10 Cabinet members are reportedly calling for the lockdown’s relaxation amid concerns about its impact on the economy.

The Times quoted one unnamed minister as saying it was important not to do “more damage”, and that measures could be eased after another three weeks.

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Scientific advisers will meet on Tuesday ahead of a formal review of the measures on Thursday.

Wuhan, in China, where the outbreak appears to have started, has been back to work for a week after nearly three months in lockdown.

Meanwhile, several European countries, including some of the hardest-hit, are this week slowly easing their restrictions as non-essential workers get back to work.

They provide a glimmer of hope that the continent could soon start returning to some semblance of normality.

Spain

View photos A local police distributes face masks to commuters at Atocha train station in Madrid, Spain, on Monday. (AP) More

Spain will allow some non-essential employees, such as factory and construction personnel, to return to work on Monday as the death rate in the country slowly falls.

Workers returning include builders, metalworkers, cleaners, factory workers and people involved in sanitation and security.

The country has been under a general lockdown since 14 March, and the measures were toughened even further on 30 March when all non-essential business was shut down for two weeks until Easter.

Other businesses including bars, nightclubs, pubs and restaurants are closed and may remain so for weeks.

On Monday, police were pictured handing out masks at metro stations and those returning to work were being advised to maintain social-distancing.

And the country’s cumulative death toll from the coronavirus rose to 17,489 on Monday, up 517 from 16,972 on Sunday, the Health Ministry said. Confirmed cases totalled 169,496, up from 166,019 the previous day.

The worst day for the virus in Spain was 3 April, when there were 950 deaths.

Italy

View photos Police officers stop cars at the Melegnano highway barrier entrance, near Milan, Italy, over the Easter bank holiday weekend. (AP) More

Italy, which has the second highest coronavirus death toll after the US, will let bookstores, stationery shops and children’s clothing shops reopen, and allow forestry-related work to resume, from Tuesday.

The move comes after the country recorded its lowest number of deaths in three weeks on Easter Sunday, with 431 new fatalities.

Strict lockdown conditions that have been in place since 9 March meant only food stores and pharmacies were permitted to stay open, with Italians only allowed to leave their homes for essential needs.

The country's worst day for COVID-19 fatalities was 28 March, with 971 deaths.

View photos Pope Francis delivers his blessing during the Via Crucis – or Way of the Cross – ceremony in front of St Peter's Basilica, empty of the faithful following Italy's ban on gatherings during a national lockdown on Friday. (AP) More

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