Spain daily virus deaths rise to 743 after drop

Spain saw a slight rise in the number of recorded deaths and coronavirus infections to 13,800 and 140,000 respectively. Health officials attributed the uptick to a backlog of reporting new data over the weekend.

Madrid:Spain's daily coronavirus death rate shot up to 743 on Tuesday after falling for four straight days, lifting the total toll to 13,798, the health ministry said.

The number of new infections in the world's second hardest-hit country after Italy also grew at a faster pace, rising 4.1 percent to 1,40,510, it added. The number of new cases had risen by 3.3 percent on Monday. Health ministry officials have said deaths occurring on the weekend are often registered a few days later, which may explain the rise.

The Spanish government has passed new measures to cushion the economic and social impact of the coronavirus pandemic in the farming industry, which has seen a shortage of nearly 80,000 workers because of the border and movement restrictions.

Agriculture Minister Luis Planas says the new rules will allow people to work until June 30 in the harvest of vegetables and fruits without giving up their unemployment subsidies. Temporary contracts for migrant workers will be extended and migrants under 21 without permission to work will be granted papers.

Roughly two-thirds of Spain’s agriculture produce are exported to other countries in Europe. Spain’s left-wing coalition government wants to extend the emergency state to deal with the outbreak until April 26, a decision that is expected to get parliamentary approval on Thursday. Spain’s far-right Vox is the only major party that has so far rejected the government’s proposal.

AP