Coronavirus Lockdown: Spain extends state of emergency till May 9

Spain on Wednesday (local time) extended the period of emergency till May 9 as the coronavirus epidemic continues to ravage the country with more than 200,000 cases and over 20,000 deaths.

"This extension is different than the others. It is the first time I can do this with a carefully optimistic future. The extension that will begin to de-escalate the rules of confinement," Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, was quoted by CNN as saying.

On Wednesday, the Spanish Parliament voted to approve the extension of its state of emergency for the third time.

Spain, currently with the second-highest cases in the world, had first declared the state of emergency on March 14, which restricted movement and business.

"Each mistake we do now, each challenge we fail and each delay caused by other interests will be a weight we will carry in the next months and years," Sanchez said.

The first case of COVID-19 in the European country was reported on February 1.

So far, the virus has infected more than 2.6 million people and claimed over 1,82,000 lives globally, according to the data compiled by US-based Johns Hopkins University.

(ANI)

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