Coronavirus death toll in Spain more than doubles in a day as cases near 8,000

Health ministry says more than half of infections concentrated in capital Madrid

Spain’s death toll from coronavirus more than doubled in 24 hours to 288 as the country entered a partial lockdown.

The health ministry said the total number of confirmed cases had also risen from 5,700 to 7,753, with around half of all infections concentrated in the capital of Madrid.

It follows the declaration of a 15-day state of emergency and restrictions on movement to commuting to work and necessary errands.

Restaurants, bars, and most retail shops are closed and public transport has been reduced.

The new cases in Spain bring the total across Europe to more than 44,400, as of midday on Sunday. There are now more than 152,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 worldwide, although the true total including as-yet-undiagnosed infections is likely to be far higher.

Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sanchez, whose wife has tested positive for the virus, described the partial lockdown as a “new phase”. He added: “We won’t hesitate in doing what we need must to beat the virus. We are putting health first.”

After the public broadcast, residents in cities across the country cheered and applauded from their balconies to show their appreciation for health workers.

Footage of the unprecedented show of appreciation was shared widely on social media, captioned with the words aplauso sanitario, (I applaud the health services) and quedate en casa (stay at home).

In Barcelona, people who ventured out on quiet streets to buy bread at a bakery on Sunday formed long lines with a metre between each person to reduce the risk of contagion.

Police patrolled parks and told people who were not taking their dog on a quick walk to go home.

The city’s mayor Ada Colau said the state of emergency “is necessary to unify our efforts so we can all go in the same direction.”

“If we show solidarity and think about one another we can get through this,” she said.​

Additional reporting by agencies