Spain’s cabinet reconvenes to tackle surge in Covid-19 cases

Spain’s cabinet met on Tuesday for the first time after the summer recess to tackle the surge of Covid-19 cases in the country as uncertainty reigns over whether schools will reopen in September. Teachers and parents’ associations are angry at the government’s lack of a coherent back-to-school plan.

Spain’s cumulative tally of coronavirus cases hit 405,436 on Monday after infections rose last week making it the worst week since late March.

The country’s health ministry added nearly 20,000 infections last week after revising upwards the number of cases for at least four of the days in that week.

Infections have risen sharply since Spain lifted a three-month lockdown in late June, but deaths have been much lower than during the epidemic’s late March peak.

The health ministry said on Monday three people had died over the past 24 hours and set the total death toll at 28,872.

The country’s health ministry said that from Sunday to Monday 2,060 cases were diagnosed – a lower number than the previous week.

Addressing the media after the first cabinet meeting following the summer recess, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said his government would work with the governments of the autonomous regions to get children back to school safely in September.

He also announced that 2000 members of Spain’s military would be available for track and trace efforts asking Spaniards to remain alert but serene as he vowed to stop a second coronavirus curve whose evolution, he said, was “worrying”.

(Reuters London)