Spain’s lockdown ‘could be extended until end of April or start of May’ hints Andalucia’s President

ANDALUCIA’S President Juanma Moreno has hinted that Spain’s lockdown to contain the coronavirus (Covid-19) could “be extended until the end of April or even the beginning of May.”

“I get the feeling that the State of Alarm will have to be extended by a few weeks more,” stated Moreno, although he hopes that is not the case. “It’s difficult to predict the outcome of this crisis, because there are days when you see the data and you think, finally we are on the other side of the curve, but then on other days you see the chilling death toll statistics.”

Yesterday (Wednesday) was one of Andalucia’s ‘darkest days,’ with the region mourning the death of 60 of its citizens in just 24 hours, taking the total number of coronavirus-related deaths to 308 since the beginning of the pandemic. The number of people diagnosed with the disease has also increased to 6,392, with 260 now receiving care in intensive care units.

Moreno said that the Andalucian parliament will also recommend to the government that the restrictions on movement should be lifted “gradually, until we find a vaccine” for Covid-19. “This disease is going to stay amongst us, and continue to cause suffering, illness and death, and for that reason, we cannot let our guard down,” he warned.

In the interview, he also said it would be realistic for schools to start in the middle of May, but acknowledges that it all depends on the evolution of the pandemic.