Spanish Prime Minster Pedro Sanchez announced Wednesday that his government will declare a national state of mourning for the more than 25,000 people in the country who have died from the novel coronavirus.
Sanchez said he would specify when the national mourning will be held.
Spain is one of the worst-affected countries during the coronavirus pandemic, with over 219,000 diagnosed cases of COVID-19, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University.
The prime minister appeared before Spain’s parliament on Wednesday to request another two-week extension of the state of emergency, which has allowed his government to impose a nationwide lockdown that has helped curb the spread of the virus. The country, among others in Europe, has begun to slowly emerge from the strict lockdown, with some small shops reopening this week.
“We have won a partial victory against the virus thanks to the sacrifice of all,” Sanchez said. “But raising the state of alarm now would be a complete error.”
