Post by EZWarren on Mar 23, 2020 10:54:02 GMT 10
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says the country is at war as his government moves to extend a state of emergency to battle the coronavirus outbreak.
The Spanish government is seeking to extend a state of emergency until April 11 as it tries to control Europe's second-worst outbreak of coronavirus.
The death toll has jumped to more than 1700, and more than 28,000 have been infected.
"We are at war," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told a news briefing on Sunday, a day after warning that the worst was yet to come in the coronavirus outbreak.
He said the military would have a larger role in the pandemic's response and called for more economic help from the EU.
The nationwide state of emergency, announced on March 14 and intended to last 15 days, bars people from all but essential outings.
An extension would need to be approved by parliament but that is guaranteed after the main opposition party, the conservative People's Party, said it would support it.
Sanchez said he hoped all parties would support the extension. It would be the first time in Spain's four-decade democracy that a state of emergency would be prolonged.
"We hope that with this so drastic, dramatic and hard measure ... we can bend the coronavirus' curve," he said.
The death toll from coronavirus rose to 1720 on Sunday from 1326 the day before, while the number of registered cases rose to 28,572 from 24,926, according to the Health Ministry's data.
Officials cautiously highlighted that the number of new daily registered cases had dropped by 26 per cent from Saturday to Sunday.
The head of Spain's health emergency committee Fernando Simon said it was early days.
"The general trend towards stabilisation can give some hope but we need to be very cautious," he said.
The death rate from the illness is around six per cent in Spain, Simon added, but he suggested the rate is actually lower because the number of cases of infection is in fact likely higher than those recorded.
The government also announced that - starting at midnight - it will restrict entry for most foreigners at air and sea ports for the next 30 days.
The Spanish government is seeking to extend a state of emergency until April 11 as it tries to control Europe's second-worst outbreak of coronavirus.
The death toll has jumped to more than 1700, and more than 28,000 have been infected.
"We are at war," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told a news briefing on Sunday, a day after warning that the worst was yet to come in the coronavirus outbreak.
He said the military would have a larger role in the pandemic's response and called for more economic help from the EU.
The nationwide state of emergency, announced on March 14 and intended to last 15 days, bars people from all but essential outings.
An extension would need to be approved by parliament but that is guaranteed after the main opposition party, the conservative People's Party, said it would support it.
Sanchez said he hoped all parties would support the extension. It would be the first time in Spain's four-decade democracy that a state of emergency would be prolonged.
"We hope that with this so drastic, dramatic and hard measure ... we can bend the coronavirus' curve," he said.
The death toll from coronavirus rose to 1720 on Sunday from 1326 the day before, while the number of registered cases rose to 28,572 from 24,926, according to the Health Ministry's data.
Officials cautiously highlighted that the number of new daily registered cases had dropped by 26 per cent from Saturday to Sunday.
The head of Spain's health emergency committee Fernando Simon said it was early days.
"The general trend towards stabilisation can give some hope but we need to be very cautious," he said.
The death rate from the illness is around six per cent in Spain, Simon added, but he suggested the rate is actually lower because the number of cases of infection is in fact likely higher than those recorded.
The government also announced that - starting at midnight - it will restrict entry for most foreigners at air and sea ports for the next 30 days.
