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Coronavirus: Europe faces Easter indoors as Spain’s cases surge past 100,000
- Spain has the world’s second-highest death toll after Italy, with the virus so far claiming 9,053 lives
- Germany and Italy moved to prolong the lockdown until after Easter on April 12
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Spain reported its deadliest day yet in the coronavirus pandemic, offering a grim reminder of the risks as Germany and Italy moved to prolong rigid lockdown measures until after Easter on April 12.
There were 864 new coronavirus fatalities in Spain on Wednesday, as the number of confirmed cases increased to more than 102,000. Spain, which has been in almost-complete lockdown since March 14, and Italy are the epicentres of the outbreak in Europe.
Even though infection rates in some countries are showing signs of receding, European governments worry that easing restrictions too soon could backfire.
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“Getting the timing wrong or taking decisions too early would end up cancelling out the work done in these very difficult weeks,” Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza told parliament on Wednesday.
A little over a week after banning gatherings of more than two people, Chancellor Angela Merkel and German state leaders agreed to extend the shutdown until April 19 at a meeting on Wednesday. The Italian government will keep its nationwide lockdown in place until at least April 13. Both countries also expanded backstops to protect their economies.
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Over the weekend, Merkel’s chief of staff, Helge Braun, said in a newspaper interview that the decision to extend efforts to limit contact between people has been made. Merkel and other German officials have pleaded for patience to give the measures time to show a lasting impact.
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