A healthcare worker walks past a sign reading “Attention, COVID Zone” attached to a big tent housing a field hospital outside the Gregorio Maranon Hospital in Madrid on April 8, 2020. – Spain recorded today a second successive daily rise in coronavirus-related deaths with 757 fatalities, lifting the total toll in Europe’s second-hardest-hit country after Italy by 5.5 percent to 14,555. The number of new infections rose by 4.4 percent to 146,690, the health ministry said, as Spain has ramped up its testing for the disease. (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP)
Spain’s daily death toll from the coronavirus fell to 683 on Thursday, after rising for two days, the authorities said.
The country, one of the worst-hit by the pandemic, has now recorded 15,238 deaths from COVID-19.
The daily toll was down from 757 on Wednesday.
Authorities in the Madrid region acknowledged on Wednesday that the number of deaths in retirement homes could be five times as high as that announced by health officials, who have not included almost 3,500 deaths of people who had not been tested for the virus.
The number of daily new cases also dropped slightly Thursday, bringing the total to 152,446.
For several days, the Spanish authorities have indicated that the peak of the pandemic has been reached but asked citizens to continue to strictly respect the confinement regulations.
“Our priority now is not to turn back, especially not to return to our starting point, not to lower our guard,” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told parliament Thursday.
Spain has been subject to a strict lockdown since March 14 which has been reinforced in the past two weeks by the cessation of all non-essential activities until the Easter weekend.
The lower house of parliament is expected to extend the confinement to April 25 on Thursday.
The government has not ruled out further extensions while stressing that the measures should be eased gradually.
