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Members of the country’s military emergency unit prepare to disinfect at a nursing home in Madrid, Spain on Tuesday. Photo: AP

Spain suffers deadliest day with 849 coronavirus deaths

  • The outbreak has now claimed 8,189 lives in Spain
  • The government is betting that severe restrictions on public life at least through the Easter weekend will help curtail the spread of the disease
Spain reported its deadliest day since the coronavirus crisis started, leaving hospitals overflowing with sick patients and the government struggling to bring the spread of the disease under control.

The total number of deaths rose by 849 to 8,189 in the past 24 hours, according to Health Ministry data. The number of new cases increased by 9,222 on Tuesday – the most in a single day – to bring the total confirmed infections in the country to 94,417.

The Spanish government is betting that severe restrictions on public life at least through the Easter weekend will help curtail the spread of the disease, which has killed more people in Spain than in China where the pandemic started.

A two-week, nationwide lockdown began March 14, when the government announced a state of emergency, and was subsequently extended to April 11.

Now on day 18 of the lockdown, Spain has sought to dramatically ramp up testing. It is sourcing kits from around the world to test some 50,000 people per day, up from the current 20,000.

It has also ordered millions of euros worth of supplies to support its health care system, on the brink of collapse following the massive influx of seriously ill patients and a growing number of medical staff falling sick with the virus.

Madrid is the worst-hit area, counting 3,609 deaths and 27,509 infections.

The regional authorities there are using a massive exhibition centre and a string of hotels to house the sick, and setting up two temporary morgues for the dead, one inside an Olympic-sized ice skating rink.

Spanish coronavirus cases overtake China, but death rate slows

The health crisis is having a severe impact on the economy. Many firms have announced temporary redundancies, putting workers on government unemployment benefit until a company is able to rehire them.

Other corporations such as Inditex SA, the world’s largest retailer, have said they’ll wait until April 11 before potentially cutting staff. All of Inditex’s stores in Spain are closed.

Additional reporting by Bloomberg

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