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CORONAVIRUS

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

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, a state of emergency was declared in Spain on 14 March - and it has now been extended twice.

MADRID, SPAIN - APRIL 13: A Spanish police officer distributes face masks at the Intercambiador de Moncloa on April 13, 2020 in Madrid, Spain.  More than 17,000 people are reported to have died in Spain due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, although
Juan Naharro GimenezGetty Images

In a bid to curb 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 that were initially due to run until 29 March.

The Spanish government has, however, eased measures as of Monday 13 April to allow some work to start again. There have been 169,496 cases in Spain with over 17,000 deaths but the daily cases and deaths has been in decline now for a couple of days. However, in a sign that the situation was taking a turn for the better, some businesses, including construction and manufacturing, were allowed to reopen.

State of emergency extended until 27 April - and is likely to continue into May

However, as the number of coronavirus cases in Spain continued to rise - its death toll overtook that of China, where the virus originated, in the last week of March - Sánchez subsequently gained approval from the Spanish parliament to extend the state of emergency until 12 April.

Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez on Thursday.
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Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez on Thursday.MariscalEFE

On Thursday, Sánchez then got parliament's backing for a second extension, until 27 April - and, although Spain's rate of cases and deaths has begun to show signs of slowing, he said he was "convinced" he'll also have to seek a third, which would take the stay-at-home order in place in the country into May.

Lockdown measures in Spain

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 hospital or to work. At the end of March, these measures were tightened to confine all non-essential workers to their homes until 9 April.

In other countries, for example the UK, citizens are allowed to go out for limited exercise - but this is not the case in Spain.

Over 15,000 coronavirus deaths in Spain

At the time of writing, there had been 152,446 confirmed coronavirus cases in Spain, leading to 15,238 deaths.

Live coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic

You can stay up-to-date with the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis by following our daily live blog.