Spanish Coronavirus Cases Steady as Nation Prepares to Extend Lockdown

(Bloomberg) --

Spain reported a small increase in the number of new coronavirus cases, though the numbers remain steady as the country readies for at least two more weeks of lockdown.

There were 4,211 new infections in the 24 hours through Wednesday, up from 3,968 on Tuesday and taking the total to 208,389, according to Health Ministry data. The number of fatalities rose by 435, compared to Monday’s increase of 430, to 21,717. More than 85,000 have recovered from the disease in the world’s most extensive outbreak after the U.S.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s government has said that Spain is past the peak of the pandemic, while cautioning that the process of easing lockdown restrictions will be gradual. The number of new infections and deaths has leveled off in recent days.

Sanchez is asking parliament Wednesday to extend the country’s state of emergency -- due to end April 25 -- by two more weeks through May 9. He told lawmakers that the next stage will be different as the government will look to start phasing out certain restrictions in May, based on how the outbreak develops. He didn’t provide further details.

In a first step announced Tuesday, children under 14 will be allowed out of their homes from April 26 for walks, but only in the company of an adult and following social-distancing and health rules.

“We are not in the de-escalation stage, we are still in the confinement stage,” Health Minister Salvador Illa said. “We can relax some confinement measures but we’re going to do it with a lot of prudence.”

Illa, a philosopher by training and a career politician with no previous experience in health, has been given full oversight of the country’s health services, normally the remit of the country’s 17 regions.

The complexity of coordinating health policy is one of the reasons behind problems in gathering data on cases and fatalities. In recent days, the government has had to correct its figures at least three times, and had to revise historical data after Catalonia decided to change how it accounts for virus deaths.

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