Spain’s deathtoll from coronavirus has risen to 84 on Thursday from 47 on Wednesday, the health ministry said.
The ministry reported the number of cases rose to 2,968 up from 2,140 on Wednesday.
PRIME MINISTER WILL HOLD MEETINGS
Schools will shut down for two weeks in Catalonia, the Basque Country, Galicia and Murcia, officials said, adding to a shutdown already in place in the wider Madrid region.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will hold all meetings via video conference starting from Thursday after fellow minister Irene Montero was diagnosed with coronavirus, the government said in a statement.
Montero’s partner Pablo Iglesias, who is deputy prime minister, was quarantined and all ministers will be tested on Thursday morning, the statement said. The royal family will also be tested after Queen Letizia recently met with Montero.
The lower house of parliament, already shut, will extend its closure, Cadena Ser radio said. Health Minister Salvador Illa canceled plans to speak in parliament about the coronavirus in what would have been an exception to the suspension.
Sanchez will head a reduced cabinet meeting on Thursday only attended by the ministers whose presence is needed to approve new measures against coronavirus spreading. The cabinet is set to approve a package of measures to mitigate the economic impact of the outbreak.