Coronavirus: Spain death toll spikes to 6500, rising by 838 cases

Spain has set an unwanted national record after recording a horrifying surge in coronavirus deaths in a single day.

Spain has registered a new national record for coronavirus deaths in a single day after 838 people succumbed to the virus.

It surpasses the figure for the previous 24 hours, announced yesterday morning, by six.

Friday’s figure for coronavirus deaths was 769, which was also a national record at the time.

Only Italy’s single-day death tally is worse than Spain’s, with 969 dying there from coronavirus in the 24 hours between Thursday and Friday.

The grim statistic means 6528 people with the virus have now died in Spain.

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Members of the Spanish military dressed in hazmat suits assist patients on buses to a temporary hospital on Sunday. Picture: Pierre-Philippe Marcou/AFP

A coronavirus victim’s coffin is taken to a burial in Madrid by workers in masks on Sunday. Picture: Baldesca Samper/AFP

New Spanish Ministry of Health figures show 78,797 people have been infected, 43,397 have needed to be hospitalised, 4907 people have been admitted to intensive care and 14,709 people have been cured of the disease.

NEW LOCKDOWN MEASURES ENFORCED

Spain is tightening its coronavirus lockdown by ordering all but non-essential workers to stay indoors.

The current lockdown provisions have already caused chaos, leaving many homeless.

The ban on a range of work activities, which were allowed in the first two weeks after a state of emergency was introduced, will start on Monday and continue through to April 9.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced the new restrictions in an address to the nation yesterday evening.

He said: “All workers performing non-essential activities must remain at home for the next fortnight like they do at the weekend.

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A man walks his dog at Port Vell yesterday in Barcelona. Picture: Sandra Montanez/Getty

“If we achieve the level of mobility we’re seeing at weekends on working days, we can halt even more the spread of this pandemic.”

The ban covers eight working days.

Employees who have to stay at home will be paid but will be expected to do extra hours over the next few months to make up the time they have been kept out of work.

Spain has now entered the third week of a state of emergency that has closed theatres, restaurants, nightclubs and clothes shops.

Free movement was also limited on March 14 to stop people exercising in public places.

Ministers had been hinting that a tightening of Spanish work regulations was being looked at earlier in the week.

Spain’s emergency health director Fernando Simon said: “The disease is stabilising and we can say some areas of the country may have surpassed the peak, although we can’t say the same at a national level.”

Mr Simon declined to specify which areas he was referring to.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission