Not only is Good Friday a solemn day in the remembrance of Easter but in 2020 Holy Friday dawns as one of the most awful in recent history. With all celebrations cancelled and 47 million people locked into their homes the country continues to lose many hundreds of its citizens to coronavirus.

A further 605 people have died in Spain since yesterday increasing the total figure to 15,843 and although the figure marks the lowest daily number of fatalities since March 24 there is still no room for celebration.

A further 4,576 people have also been added to the list of confirmed cases bringing that figure to    157,022 confirmed cases, although 55,668 people have overcome the disease.

The figures ensure that Spain remains as one of the small group of countries that the coronavirus has hit with particular virulence.

The most affected community is still Madrid, with 44,783 confirmed cases and 5,972 deaths. It is followed by Catalonia, with 31,824 infections and 3,231 deaths; Castilla-La Mancha, with 13,063 cases and 1,431 deaths; Castilla y León, with 11,102 infected and 1,129 deaths and the Basque Country, with 10,103 confirmed cases and 729 deaths.

COMUNIDAD VALENCIA

The Ministry of Health has confirmed 367 new infections in the last day, 58 more than on Wednesday, and increasing the number of cases to 8,331. The figures were delivered this Friday by the Minister, Ana Barceló, in her daily appearance to report the growth of the Covid-19 pandemic. Of the total of new cases, 112 are in the province of Alicante, more than double that of Thursday when there were 47.

Barceló explained that the increase in the number of positive cases is due to the fact that more tests are now being carried out.

The accumulated number in Alicante is now 2,962 positive cases although in a number of those have recovered. There are currently 2,085 people in hospital.

There were 313 new recoveries, the second largest number of cures registered in a single day in Valencian territory. Of the total discharges so far, 705 are from the province of Alicante (73 more than those that were recorded on Thursday).

Unfortunately, the death toll in the Community increased by a further 29 people, 8 of which are from the province of Alicante, where the accumulated total is now 318 .

CASES ACROSS EUROPE

In Europe, according to the latest data, Spain now exceeds Italy (143,626) in the number of confirmed cases although Italy is yet to provide it’s daily figures for Friday.

Likewise, in Germany there are currently 108,202 infected people, in France 86,334, in the United Kingdom 65,077 and in Turkey 42,282.

In the rest of the world, the United States already registers 427,460 cases of people infected by the new coronavirus; China 83,305; Iran 66,220; Canada 19,759; Brazil 17,857 and South Korea 10,450.

LOCKDOWN FORMALLY EXTENDED

On Thursday the Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez formally pushed through the Congress of Deputies, his extension to lockdown for a further two weeks up to 26 April but during the debate in Spain’s Lower House, he warned that a further extension, to 10 May, is highly likely, although it is still unclear as to what the conditions would be.

The Spanish government has been hinting at a gradual de-escalation of confinement measures based on the data from the pandemic.