Main article: COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic

It is forbidden to enter the front section of buses of the Brno Public Transport during the pandemic (14 March
2020)

The first case was reported in the country on 1 March. [25] As of 22 March there had been 1120
confirmed cases, with one lethal outcome. [25]
On 12 March, the Czech Republic declared a 30-day state of emergency and barred entry to non-
residents from China, South Korea, Iran, Italy, Spain, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, UK,
Norway, Denmark and France.[120]
The Czech Republic banned people from going out in public without wearing a face mask or
covering their nose and mouth.[121]

Denmark[edit]
Main article: COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark
For Greenland, see COVID-19 pandemic in Greenland.
For Faroe Islands, see COVID-19 pandemic in the Faroe Islands.
On 27 February, Denmark confirmed its first case.[122]
As of 16 March, there have been 898 confirmed cases in Denmark, including 11 in the Faroe Islands
(see below).[123]
Numerous preventive measures gradually were implemented. Starting on 13 March, schools,
universities and similar places were closed, while most people in non-essential functions have been
sent home to work.[124] On 14 March, the borders were closed for all entries, except Danish citizens,
people with a residence permit, people with an important reason for visiting, and transport of goods.
[125][120]

Estonia[edit]
Main article: COVID-19 pandemic in Estonia
On 27 February, Estonia confirmed its first case, an Iranian citizen, travelling from Iran via Turkey. [126]
As of 11 March, there were 17 confirmed cases in Estonia. 12 of them had returned with the
infection from Northern Italy, one from France, one from Iran and one from undisclosed risk area. [127]
[128]
 First two cases of virus transmitting locally were in Saaremaa after international volleyball
competition involving a team from Milan.[129]
From 12 March, the virus was spreading locally. The number of infected grew fast reaching 109 on
14 March.[130]

Finland[edit]
Main article: COVID-19 pandemic in Finland
The first case was reported in the country on 28 January. [131][132] As of 21 July there were over 7,000
confirmed cases.[133]

France[edit]
Main article: COVID-19 pandemic in France

Empty supermarket shelves in Annonay, France, on 14 March 2020.

On 24 January, the first case in Europe was confirmed in Bordeaux. Two more cases were
confirmed in Paris by the end of the day, all of them originated from China. A cluster of infections
was discovered in Haute-Savoie which originated from a British national who had visited Singapore.
[134][135][136]

From 31 January to 9 February, nearly 550 people were repatriated from Wuhan on a series of
evacuation flights arriving at Creil Air Base in Oise and Istres-Le Tubé Air Base in Istres.[137]
On 14 February, an 80-year-old Chinese tourist died in Bichat–Claude Bernard Hospital, Paris,
marking the first death from COVID-19 in Europe and France. [138]
According to regional council president Jean Rottner, the starting point for the first intense wave in
Alsace was the Fasting Meeting of the Protestant Free Church of La Porte Ouverte in Mulhouse,
with more than 2500 visitors, in mid-February.[139] On 12 March, French president Emmanuel
Macron announced on public television that all schools and all universities would close from Monday
16 March until further notice. The next day, the Prime Minister Édouard Philippe banned gatherings
of more than 100 people, not including public transportation. The following day, the prime minister
ordered the closure of all nonessential public places, including restaurants, cafés, cinemas, and
discothèques, effective at midnight. [140]
As of 14 March, there had been 4,499 confirmed cases (a near-four-fold increase over the number 5
days previously), and 91 deaths in France.[141]
As of 20 March, the number of confirmed cases had risen to 12,612, while the number of deaths
reached 450.[citation needed] As of 30 March, more than six hundred doctors and other medical workers are
suing the former Minister of Health and the Prime Minister for "culpable negligence" in failing to
prepare for the epidemic.[142]
Until 1 April, the daily update of the number of deaths in France included only deaths in hospitals,
with deaths in retirement homes or at home not included in the update. [143] Deaths in retirement
homes were included in the reported figures from 2 April, causing totals to increase substantially. [144]
On 4 May, retroactive testing of samples in one French hospital showed a patient "who had COVID-
19 as early as Dec. 27, nearly a month before the French government confirmed its first
cases."[145] According to the researchers who reported the discovery, this indicates that the virus was
present in the population well before the first confirmed cases, a finding also echoed by US
researchers.[146] In July 2020, Prime Minister of France Jean Castex, announced that health care pay
workers will see $9 billion in pay raises, as a result of their efforts during the corornavirus pandemic.
[147]