New surges of COVID-19 are disrupting the peak holiday season across much of Europe, where authorities are closing dance clubs, banning fireworks and expanding mandatory mask orders even in chic resort areas. Some of the toughest new measures were announced in Spain, which has recorded almost 50,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the past 14 days. The health minister says nightclubs nationwide are being ordered to close. In Italy, mayors of several seaside towns announced new restrictions, including bans on fireworks at beaches. In France, thousands of vacationing Britons are scrambling to return home. They want to avoid having to self-isolate for 14 days following Britain’s decision to reimpose quarantine restrictions on France.

The AP plans the following coverage today of the virus outbreak. For up-to-the minute information, visit AP Newsroom’s coverage hub Find AP Virus Alerts here

SENT/DEVELOPING:

VIRUS OUTBREAK: New flareups of COVID-19 are disrupting the peak summer vacation season across much of Europe, where authorities in some countries are reimposing restrictions on travelers, closing nightclubs again, banning fireworks displays and expanding mask orders even in chic resort areas. SENT; developing. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST

VIRUS OUTBREAK: Lee County, deep in the Appalachian Mountains, is one of many school districts around the country where children who struggled without access to technology last spring are bracing for the possibility of falling further behind academically as the pandemic threatens to keep them home again. SENT: 1000 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-BLOOD OF THE RECOVERED: Mayo Clinic researchers are reporting a strong hint that blood plasma from COVID-19 survivors helps other patients recover. But it’s not proof, and some experts worry if, amid clamor for the treatment, they’ll ever get a clear answer. SENT: 760 words, photos.

FINANCIAL MARKETS: Global shares are down after European countries imposed more limits on travel to counter a rise in coronavirus contagions. SENT; developing.

RETAIL SALES: Americans increased their retail purchases by 1.2% in July, with solid gains in appliances and clothing, restoring sales to their level before the viral pandemic erupted in March. SENT: 960 words, photos.

ELECTION 2020-DNC: Joe Biden is poised to unveil his vision for the modern-day Democratic Party in the first presidential nominating convention of the coronavirus era next week. SENT: 1060 words, photos.

ELECTION 2020-BIKERS FOR TRUMP: While the pandemic has bottled up most in-person get-out-the-vote efforts across the country ahead of the presidential election, a group called Bikers for Trump is defying public health recommendations in an effort to get people voting. SENT: 900 words, photos.

ELECTION 2020-TRUMP-BIDEN-MASKS: The debate over masks has moved to the presidential race. President Donald Trump is attacking Joe Biden for calling on governors to mandate all Americans wear masks. SENT: 550 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR: California Gov. Gavin Newsom has had a summer of muddled messaging and bad news in the coronavirus fight. SENT: 890 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN: British holidaymakers in France are scrambling to return home Friday before they have to self-isolate for 14 days following the government’s decision to reimpose quarantine restrictions on the country amid a recent pick-up in coronavirus infections. SENT: 820 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA: India’s coronavirus death toll has overtaken Britain’s to become the fourth-highest in the world. SENT: 760 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW ZEALAND: New Zealand’s government has extended a lockdown of its largest city Auckland for another 12 days as it tries to stamp out its first domestic coronavirus outbreak in more than three months. SENT: 500 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-BLACK FUNERAL HOME: When the coronavirus pandemic hit California, for a few weeks the owner of Boyd Funeral Home in South Los Angeles declined to receive patients who had died from the virus. Candy Boyd says she just didn’t feel her workers had the equipment or training to stay safe. However, the calls kept coming, and it was clear that Black communities were being particularly hard hit. SENT: 670 words, photos.

UNCERTAINTY AHEAD: NBA players at the Walt Disney World campus have been safe, with no players testing positive for the coronavirus since arriving in early July. But the virus still rages elsewhere. The uncertainty it has caused leaves teams concerned for their players and wondering when they will see them again. SENT: 840 words, photos.

ALSO:

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW YORK-TRAVEL LAWSUIT: A federal judge threw out a lawsuit by an Arizona woman who claimed New York’s 14-day quarantine requirement for travelers from hotspot coronavirus states infringed on her “fundamental right to travel.” SENT: 210 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CANADA-US BORDER: The Canada-U.S. border will remain closed to non-essential travel for at least another month. SENT: 160 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-ALABAMA GOVERNOR: Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey’s chief of staff is quarantining at home after his wife tested positive for COVID-19. SENT: 140 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-INDONESIA-VACCINE TRIAL: Indonesia’s only vaccine production company has injected the first volunteers with Chinese firm Sinovac’s vaccine candidate in so-called phase 3 clinical trials. Indonesia plans to involve 1,620 volunteers. SENT: 450 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NETHERLANDS: The Dutch statistics office says the country’s economy suffered a 8.5% contraction in the second quarter as the coronavirus pandemic slammed the brakes on spending, exports and investments. SENT: 250 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Fans wore masks and players drank from their own water bottles instead of sharing Thursday night at what was said to be the first high school football game in the United States since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.SENT: 250 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-J BALVIN: Colombian superstar J Balvin says he is recovering after battling the coronavirus. SENT: 250 words, photos.

INTERACTIVES/GRAPHICS:

-US cases county-by-county. Embed code can be found in Coverage Plan. A static graphic also will be available in AP Newsroom.

-State trends (table): Trends in new cases and positivity rates for each U.S. state over the past 14 days.

-Case count (table): Searchable table of confirmed cases, including recoveries and deaths, by country, updated each hour.

-Interactive breakdown of unemployment filings by state with time scale for each (going back as far as 2000)

-Virus Europe Spread (map): An auto updating European map tracking the total confirmed cases, recoveries and deaths from coronavirus.

Additional graphics and interactives include:

- Flattening the Coronavirus Curve (Chart): Chart compares the cumulative cases over time in some of the hardest hit countries by coronavirus.

-Virus Global Spread (table): Table of countries which have confirmed cases of the virus. Table also includes when the virus was initially reported and the number of deaths by country.

-Virus Global Spread (Map): Map of countries which have confirmed cases of the virus. Map also includes when the virus was initially reported and the number of deaths by country.

-Virus US State Map: State by state count of confirmed cases in the U.S.

-Virus US State Table: Table tracks the number of cases, recoveries and deaths for the US including its territories.

-Status of Cases Worldwide: Auto-updating once a day, this chart tracks the levels of active cases and deaths from COVID-19 around the world over time.

PHOTOS:

AP photos have moved from Britain, France, India, Germany, South Korea, Indonesia, Japan, various US, Latin America locations.

VIDEO:

AP video has moved from France Iraq, South Korea, New Zealand, North Korea, China, various US, Latin America locations.