COVID-19

The daily death toll from the coronavirus here fell to its second lowest since mid-March yesterday, as half the country prepares to move to the next phase of an exit from one of Europe’s strictest lockdowns. Spain began to loosen its lockdown last week, but Phase 1 will include a considerable easing of measures that will allow people to move around their province as well as attend concerts and go […]

Madrid will not enter ‘phase 1’ of de-escalation from the coronavirus lockdown this Monday. The Ministry of Health believes the capital’s system for conducting COVID-19 tests in health centres needs improvement before the city is ready to ease restrictions. The decision comes after Madrid’s director general of Public Health, Yolanda Fuentes, resigned after she refused to sign a phase change proposal, fearing the region was not ready for de-escalation. The […]

Parliament have voted to extend the state of alarm here for another 15 days, maintaining the emergency powers for the government to deal with the ongoing coronavirus crisis. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, of the Socialist PSOE Party, first implemented the measure on March 14. Sánchez’s request for an additional period until May 24 was met with growing objections from the opposition, and the prime minister, who heads a minority government […]

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will ask Spain’s parliament, to vote in favour of a two-week extension to the state of alarm today. It has been in place since March 14, when confinement measures were first imposed. Since then, the extraordinary measure has been extended three times, and is currently set to come to an end this Saturday May 9. Sánchez cannot extend the state of alarm without MP's approval, the […]

Hairdressers, ironmongers and florists opened for business with restrictions yesterday as Spain began the four-phase plan to reopen by end-June, while the 24-hour death tally from the coronavirus pandemic stayed under 200 for the second day in a row. Red Cross workers handed out masks at Madrid’s metro stations as wearing face protection on pubic transport became mandatory. Passengers crossing from the holiday islands of Ibiza to Formentera were tested […]

Several of Spain’s regional premiers have told Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez that they oppose another extension of the state of alarm which gives central government extra powers to deal with the coronavirus crisis. The state of alarm must be approved by parliament every two weeks, and the current period is set to end this Saturday May 9. Sánchez, who heads a minority coalition government with junior partner Unidas Podemos, will […]

Masks will be compulsory on public transport here in Spain from tomorrow as the country moves to gradually relax its tough lockdown. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the government would distribute 6m masks, mainly at transport locations and give another 7m to local authorities. Adults were able to exercise outdoors yesterday for the first time in seven weeks. Spain's official death toll is 24,824, but the rate of fatalities has […]

As people prepared to emerge from their homes for walks after seven weeks of strict lockdown Spain closed a giant temporary hospital in Madrid yesterday that had become a symbol of its fight against the coronavirus pandemic. The developments showed that Spain was pulling out of the crisis that has now claimed the lives of 24,824 people. The death toll rose by 281 on Friday, a small rise from the […]