European nations on Sunday prepared for further cautious easing of coronavirus restrictions following signs the pandemic may be slowing, with hard-hit Italy set to follow Spain in allowing people outside after weeks of confinement.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said mosques would reopen across large parts of the country Monday, after they were closed in early March amid the Middle East's deadliest novel coronavirus outbreak.

Russia on Sunday registered more than 10,600 new coronavirus infections, marking a fresh one-day record increase.

Russia on Saturday reported its largest increase in coronavirus cases with the new infections rising by nearly 10,000 in a single day.

The coronavirus death toll in the United States climbed by 1,883 in the past 24 hours, a tally by Johns Hopkins University showed Friday, bringing the total number of fatalities to nearly 65,000.

American authorities approved an experimental drug for emergency use on coronavirus patients, as more US states eased pandemic lockdowns despite another spike in deaths from the disease.

May is bringing cautious reopenings from coronavirus lockdowns, from Beijing's Forbidden city to shopping malls in Texas, as the grim toll from the pandemic ticks higher.

Many communities are inching toward normalcy without certainty over whether they've vanquished outbreaks of the virus. But bleak new figures released Thursday underscored the pain inflicted by the disease and added to pressure on leaders to end shutdowns.

Australia will consider early easing of coronavirus restrictions next week, officials announced Friday, as the number of local cases dwindled and the economic impact of the crisis fell into painful relief.

France reported 289 coronavirus deaths on Thursday, a drop of more than 100 from the previous day, as well as another decline in the number of patients in intensive care.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on Thursday said he tested positive for coronavirus and will self-isolate to protect other cabinet members.

"I have just learned that the test on the coronavirus I took was positive," Mishustin said in a video meeting with President Vladimir Putin.