Spain awoke to its third week under near-total lockdown on Sunday, as the government met to approve a strengthening of measures and the coronavirus death toll rose by a record 838 cases overnight to 6,528. Second only to Italy in fatalities, Spain also saw infections rise to 78,797 from 72,248 the day before. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, in a televised address to the nation on Saturday night, announced that all non-essential workers must stay at home for two weeks, the latest government measure in the fight against coronavirus. He said workers would receive their usual salaries but would have to make up lost hours at a later date. The slowdown “may lead to a deeper crisis in the economy that could become social”, they warned in a statement.

Source: The Hindu March 29, 2020 10:45 UTC