Drive-in theaters offer haven; Slovenia declares an end to pandemic

Denmark recorded zero deaths related to Covid-19 in the past 24 hours for the first time in more than two months, Reuters reported. The Scandinavian country confirmed 78 new cases to bring the national tally to 10,791. The death toll stands at 537, and the number of hospitalizations across the country fell by 10 to 137, according to Reuters. —Sara Salinas

April retail sales fell a record 16.4{3c4481f38fc19dde56b7b1f4329b509c88239ba5565146922180ec5012de023f}, as the coronavirus pandemic largely kept brick-and-mortar shops closed. Economists polled by Dow Jones expected sales to plunge by 12.3{3c4481f38fc19dde56b7b1f4329b509c88239ba5565146922180ec5012de023f}, compared with a previous record drop in March. 

Non-essential businesses were shuttered in wide swaths across the country during the crisis. Some states are just starting to reopen shops and non-grocery retailers for business or for curbside pickup. —Sara Salinas

Once a dying piece of Americana, drive-ins have become a haven for moviegoers during the coronavirus pandemic. While traditional movie theaters have been closed due to social distancing restrictions, drive-ins have been able to show films. Although, it’s estimated that only 30 are open out of the 330 locations still operating.

Jim Kopp, owner of the Family Drive-in Theater in Stephens City, Virginia, said his theater keeps cars 10 feet apart and all of his ticketing and concession sales are now done online or through an app.

“It has changed the way we are doing business in that everything is online,” he said. “It is a contactless type of process.”

The drive-ins restrooms are also sanitized after each use, which has led to longer-than-average lines. —Sarah Whitten

The Slovenian government has called an official end to its Covid-19 epidemic, after authorities recorded less than seven new infections each day for the past two weeks.

It means the mountainous nation of approximately 2 million people has become the first in Europe to announce the coronavirus spread is now under control.

Slovenia declared a nationwide epidemic on March 12, but authorities began easing lockdown measures from April 12.To date, the small EU member state has recorded 1,464 coronavirus cases, with 103 deaths nationwide, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. —Sam Meredith

Read coverage from CNBC’s Asia-Pacific and Europe teams overnight here: Russia’s cases top 262,000; London’s Canary Wharf plans for workers’ return