Spain Is Facing a Second Wave of Coronavirus Outbreaks. Here ’s What to Know

Authorities in Spain prohibited anyone from entering or leaving the town of Totana in the southeastern part of the country yesterday, after 55 people who went to a local bar tested positive for COVID-19. The town, home to 32,000 people, is one of many in Spain to go back into lockdown, as the country struggles to contact trace and get a handle on new outbreaks popping up across the nation. Spain was home to one of Europe’s worst COVID-19 outbreaks, experiencing 270,166 cases and 28,429 deaths since January. The country also had the world’s highest reported rate of COVID-19 infection for doctors and nurses. But after four months in one of the strictest lockdowns on the continent, Spain lifted its state of emergency on June 21 amid lower case numbers and fatality rates, reinstating people’s freedom of movement and opening borders to some countries. A month later, Spain is facing another surge in cases. Widespread neglect of social distancing rules and limited contact tracing have driven spikes in new daily infection rates that has forced the government to place parts of the country under temporary lockdown again. Although other European countries like Germany and Portugal have also seen the number of new daily cases tick up, they have not been on the same scale as Spain. On Wednesday, 730 new infections were reported in Spain, the highest increase in new daily cases since May 8. Spanish health officials reported on July 20 that the infection rate has tripled...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 Londontime Source Type: news