Spain’s death toll surpasses 10,000 in the crisis hit country

The Spanish health ministry have confirmed another 950 deaths bringing the total across the country to 10,003 compared to 9,053 on Wednesday.

The country has reported a further 8,102 new cases of coronavirus sending the over all total of confirmed coronavirus cases to a staggering 110,238.

Spanish data confirms 898,822 people across the country have now lost their jobs since the lockdown started, and surged 9.3% since February.

There are now more than 3.5m people without jobs in the country, which is the highest number since 2017.

Transport Minister Jose Luis Abalos told RNE radio, “It is always a big problem and it is the double challenge we have: to fight the epidemic and to avoid the economic activity being swept away.

“We will have to work on relaunching the economy once we can get control of the epidemic.”

Economy Minister Nadia Calvino said, after a Cabinet meeting to approve the strict lockdown measures: “The measures are to reduce the movement of people, not economic activity.”

Last weekend the Spanish government announced a ban on all non-essential workers, telling them to stay at home for at least two weeks.

However, Antonio Garamendi, president of Spain’s business association, said the lockdown could lead to a full-blown social crisis.

He also criticised the government in their delay in clarifying which sectors are classed as “essential.”

In a television interview, Garamendi said, “If you stop the country, we’ll have a huge social problem within five months.”

NHS doctors face “grave decisions” over who lives and who dies according to new guidance issued over life saving treatment for coronavirus patients.

Should hospitals become overwhelmed with infected patients then doctors will have to make those decisions, the latest guidance from the British Medical Association (BMA) states.

The BMA guidance warns of decisions in rationing scarce resources of ventilators which means a large proportion of patients may not receive the lifesaving treatment.

An NHS doctor who is on the frontline has warned that her ward is full of young people and is urging people to strictly follow the lockdown laws.

Dr Ami Jones who works at the Royal Gwent Hospital as an intensive care consultant said the hospital is “very, very busy.”

“It’s not just the vulnerable and elderly that are getting poorly – my unit is full of 20, 30 and 40-year-olds.”