Coronavirus latest: Spain extends lockdown as it becomes Europe’s virus epicentre; Trump urges Americans to wear face coverings

Spain has more than 124,700 cases, with health care workers accounting for 15 per cent of infections

US President Donald Trump announced new guidelines that call for everyone to wear makeshift face coverings such as T-shirts and bandanas

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People wearing face masks line up to buy supplies from a shop in Spain on April 4, 2020. Photo: AP

Published: 12:58am, 4 Apr 2020Updated: 11:45pm, 4 Apr 2020

Spain on Saturday became the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic in Europe as the total number of cases surpassed Italy.

Authorities reported 7,026 new cases, taking the total to 124,736, and the death toll stood at 11,744. Health care workers represented about 15 per cent of cases, Spain ’s health ministry said.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Saturday announced he was extending the country’s lockdown until midnight on April 25.

Even as cases rise, the rate of increase declined by some 6 per cent from the previous day, offering some cause for hope that Spain’s coronavirus crisis was turning a corner.

Meanwhile, in the United States, fatalities surpassed 7,000, and the administration of US President Donald Trump has urged Americans to cover their faces in public and limited exports of medical supplies.

Trump announced new guidelines that call for everyone to wear makeshift face coverings such as T-shirts and bandanas when leaving the house, especially in areas hit hard by the pandemic, like New York.

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