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CORONAVIRUS

Coronavirus: How long has Spain been on lockdown and when does it end?

In an attempt to stop the spread of Covid-19 in Spain, one of the countries worst affected by the pandemic, its citizens have been ordered to stay at home.

The Arc de Triomphe area of Barcelona deserted, on 24th March 2020.
Joan VallsGTRES

In a bid to halt the spread of the coronavirus in Spain, one of the nations most affected by the pandemic, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez declared a state of emergency on 14 March, ordering people in the country to stay at home as part of measures which took effect the next day and were initially due to run until 29 March.

State of emergency extended until 12 April

However, with the number of coronavirus cases in Spain continuing to rise at pace - its death toll has now overtaken China, where the virus originated, and is second only to Italy - Sánchez on Wednesday gained approval from the Spanish parliament to extend the state of emergency until 12 April.

Spain's lockdown bans its residents from leaving the house for all but essential reasons, such as buying food and medical supplies, or travelling to work or to hospital. Other countries that have adopted such measures, for example the UK, allow their citizens to go out for limited exercise - but this is not the case in Spain.

LaLiga footballer among people punished for breaking lockdown

The IFEMA exhibition centre in Madrid has been turned into a field hospital as Spain battles the spread of the coronavirus in the country.
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The IFEMA exhibition centre in Madrid has been turned into a field hospital as Spain battles the spread of the coronavirus in the country.AFP

On Tuesday, Spanish interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said that 926 arrrests had been made as a result of people breaking lockdown. Among those to fall foul of the authorities was Real Valladolid footballer Pedro Porro: the on-loan Manchester City player was fined 600 euros this week after driving 15km from his home to go shopping in the centre of Valladolid.

Over 4,000 coronavirus deaths in Spain

At the time of writing, there had been 56,188 confirmed coronavirus cases in Spain, leading to 4,089 deaths.

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