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Spain to ease coronavirus lockdown as country’s rates of infections, deaths slow

11 April 2020 15:36 (UTC +04:00)

The coronavirus death toll curve in Spain flattened further on Friday as the government prepared to start easing one of the world's strictest lockdowns and virtual Easter celebrations were held instead of traditional processions, APA reports citing France 24.

Spaniards have been off the streets since mid-March and have suffered nearly 16,000 fatalities from the COVID-19 disease - the third worst toll after Italy and the United States.

But the slowdown in the rate of infection and death has enabled officials to consider a gradual lifting of the lockdown.

"The government is preparing new scenarios of de-escalation," Health Minister Salvador Illa told reporters.

Even though several officials have said the formal lockdown will probably continue into May, some restrictions are to be lifted on Monday to breathe life into a paralysed economy.

From then, workers in some sectors such as construction will be allowed out again and some factories will reopen.

Further easing of the lockdown will depend on analysis of the epidemic's evolution, Illa said. "These are very complex decisions that require multi-disciplinary analysis.”

Though many people will return to work, social distancing should be maintained, Maria Jose Sierra, the deputy head of health emergencies, said at a virtual news conference.

"We will give a series of recommendations. The most important is if there is a person who shows the slightest symptom, they should contact the health system and remain in self-isolation," she said.