Spanish deaths fall for fourth consecutive day

Spain has seen its daily number of coronavirus deaths fall for a fourth consecutive day, bolstering hopes the country is passing the outbreak’s peak.

Monday’s increase of 637 deaths means more than 13,000 have died in total.

Spain’s population has been living under severe restrictions for more than three weeks, with lockdown measures now extended toward the end of April.

The nation has more than 135,000 confirmed cases, the most in the world, but new infections have been slowing.

Spanish officials say they plan to widen coronavirus testing to include those without symptoms.

“We are preparing ourselves for de-escalation for which it is important to know who is contaminated to be able to gradually lift Spanish citizens’ lockdown,” Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez was quoted by Reuters as telling television station Antena 3.

The country has the second-highest death toll in the world from the virus, behind Italy.

But Monday’s figure is the lowest the country has recorded since March 24.

It comes after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said at the weekend that some restrictions, including keeping non-essential workers at home, could be lifted after Easter.

Speaking on Saturday, he said the country was “close to passing the peak of infections” but extended lockdown measures until 25 April, saying the restrictions were “saving lives”.