Madrid, May 20
Spain’s fragile left-wing coalition sought support from political foes to extend a state of emergency on Wednesday as public protests simmered over the coronavirus crisis' damage to the economy and tough social restrictions.
Even though deaths are slowing and Spain hopes to mostly lift a strict lockdown by the end of June, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wants to keep special powers for two more weeks to control the easing of restrictions.
“We have not got this far by inertia, but by the work of the health workers,” Sanchez said. Spain has recorded 27,778 deaths and 232,037 cases of COVID-19, but new fatalities have slowed to under 100 a day. The leader of the conservative People’s Party accused Sanchez of going too far in one of Europe’s toughest lockdowns. “Your plan has been a failure. Confinement prevents contagion but that cannot be an unlimited measure,” Pablo Casado said in parliament. “Your policies are causing wreckage.”
With Spain’s tourism-dependent economy forecast to contract up to 12.4% in 2020, frustration is boiling into protests. Groups of up to several hundred demonstrators have been gathering daily to bang pots outside homes and call for the government’s resignation, violating social-distancing rules. —Reuters
COMBATTING THE VIRUS
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