Spain becomes first western European country with one million Covid-19 cases

21 October 2020, 19:04

Homeless people sleep on a square where restaurants are closed due to sharpest resurgences of coronavirus in Barcelona, Spain (Emilio Morenatti/AP)
Virus Outbreak Spain. Picture: PA

The health ministry attributes 34,366 deaths to coronavirus.

Spain became the first country in western Europe to accumulate more than one million confirmed Covid-19 infections as the nation of 47 million struggles to contain a resurgence of the virus.

The health ministry on Wednesday said that its accumulative case load since the start of the pandemic reached 1,005,295 after reporting 16,973 more cases in the past 24 hours.

The ministry attributes 34,366 deaths to Covid-19.

Experts say the real numbers of infections and deaths are probably much higher because insufficient testing, asymptomatic cases and other issues impede authorities from capturing the true scale of the outbreak.

As the numbers rise, authorities in charge of health policy in Spain’s regions are tightening restrictions.

An elderly man sits on a bench wearing a face mask to protect against coronavirus, in Pamplona, northern Spain (Alvaro Barrientos/AP)
An elderly man sits on a bench wearing a face mask to protect against coronavirus, in Pamplona, northern Spain (Alvaro Barrientos/AP)

They want to stem the surge that has been building in recent months while avoiding a second total lockdown of home confinements that stemmed the first wave of the virus but left the economy reeling.

The regional government of northern Aragon announced on Wednesday they have closed the city limits of Zaragoza, Huesca and Teruel.

Neighbouring Navarra, which leads Spain in infections per 100,000 over 14 days, is preparing to become the first Spanish region to close its borders on Thursday.

La Rioja will also close its regional borders on Friday.

Spain’s health minister Salvador Illa and regional heads of health will meet on Thursday to discuss their virus strategies and consider employing nightly curfews to target late-night partying as a source of contagion.

“I want to be very clear,” Mr Illa said Tuesday.

“Some very hard weeks are coming.”

By Press Association

Latest World News

See more Latest World News

South Africa Bus Crash

Girl, 8, the sole survivor as 45 die in bus crash off South Africa bridge

A spokesman has denied reports the sausage dog could be banned.

The wurst news is over: Germany denies claims of sausage dog ban

Israel Palestinians Britain Aid

UN top court orders Israel to open more land crossings into Gaza

Greece Confidence Vote

Greece’s government survives no-confidence motion called over rail disaster

Israel Palestinians UN Security Council

Russia ‘abolishes’ monitoring of sanctions on North Korea with UN veto

Firefighters at the scene of a bus crash in Limpopo

Bus plunges from bridge in South Africa and erupts into flames, killing at least 45 and leaving child, 8, as lone survivor

Music-Green Day UN

Green Day to headline UN-backed global climate concert

Sam Bankman-Fried

FTX founder Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison for crypto fraud

France Valentino

Former Gucci designer Alessandro Michele named Valentino creative director

Russia Shooting

Russia arrests another suspect in concert hall attack that killed 143

American Easter egg

White House’s annual Easter egg roll to be attended by 40,000 people

Barbers in Paris

Proposal to ban discrimination over a person’s hair passes first legal hurdle

Mahmoud Abbas

Palestinian Authority names new government following pressure to reform

Arvind Kejriwal

Opposition leader Kejriwal locked up for further four days, court rules

Resident clears rubble from home

Russia wears down Ukrainian defences with missile and drone attacks

Pope Francis

Pope urges priests to avoid ‘clerical hypocrisy’ in Maundy Thursday speech