Spain remains one of the hardest hit countries in the world.
According to statistics from Spain’s Ministry of Health, 757 novel coronavirus patients died today, April 8. The number of cases in the European country has risen by 6,180 since yesterday, reaching 146,690.
The number of fatalities currently stands at 14,555 after the death toll rose dramatically over the past two days.
The number of new cases in the country today, though still high, reflects a slow-down in the transmission rate, suggesting that Spain’s lockdown measures are beginning to positively impact the spread of the pandemic.
Despite the relative deceleration of new cases, Spain remains one of the hardest-hit countries in the world with only the US reporting more cases than the southern European country.
The US today reported 401,636 confirmed cases of the virus, and its death toll is inching towards 13,000.
Spain’s neighboring Italy, where social unrest is brewing as lockdown measures continue, has 135,586 confirmed cases. Statistics are showing a positive trend with a slow-down in the daily numbers of both fatalities and new cases. In Italy, 17,127 people have died after contracting the virus.
On March 30 Spanish government announced its decision to prolong the country’s lockdown period to April 11. The extension is the second of its kind since Spain first implemented tight lockdown measures and social distancing regulations on March 14.
After spending more than one month in confinement, the Spanish population is starting to experience lockdown fatigue and the country-wide shut down of non-essential businesses is taking its toll on the national economy.
Since the start of the lockdown, Spanish police have arrested 2,311 people for breaking lockdown measures, and have issued over 270,000 fines.
Despite rising tension and economic fears, the government announced that the measures will stay in place until April 26.
