People wear face masks after the Spanish government imposed a 15-day state of emergency in the Madrid region. Photo: GettySpain has become the first Western European country to exceed 1 million Covid-19 infections, doubling its tally in just six weeks despite a series of increasingly stringent measures to control the second wave of the virus. Health ministry data on Wednesday (local time) showed total cases had reached 1,005,295, rising by 16,973 from the previous day. Many blame impatience to be rid of state-imposed restrictions meant to contain coronavirus contagion, or weariness with social distancing guidelines. "What's most important is that the economy doesn't suffer any more," she told a news conference on Wednesday.

Source: Otago Daily Times October 21, 2020 20:26 UTC