Spain sees record death toll with 849 fatalities in 24 hours: govt

Picture shows the almost empty A1 highway in Burgos on March 30, 2020, on the day that all non-essential activities were ordered to halt trying to contain the coronavirus spread. – Spain, already struggling with high unemployment and debt, is bracing for the impact of the government’s decision to put the country’s economy into “hibernation” to fight the spread of coronavirus. Grappling with Europe’s second-worst outbreak of the disease after Italy, the government on March 14 imposed a lockdown and yesterday it went even further, banning all non-essential work for two weeks in the nation of around 47 million people. (Photo by CESAR MANSO / AFP)

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Once again, Spain hit a new record with 849 people dying of COVID-19 in 24 hours, hiking the overall death toll to 8,189, the government said on Tuesday.

The increase came after a day in which the number of deaths had fallen slightly, raising hopes the epidemic could be reaching a peak in Spain, which has logged the world’s second-highest number of deaths from the virus, after Italy.

Another 9,222 people tested positive for the virus over the past 24 hours, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 94,417.

© Agence France-Presse