Laurence Dollimore
SPAIN has added 26,560 coronavirus cases over the weekend as the official total since the pandemic began rises to 525,549.
It means there was an average of 8,850 cases detected per day since Friday, according to figures from the Health Ministry.
In the past 24 hours there have been just 2,440 cases registered by PCR, with Madrid accounting for the most (670), followed by the Basque Country (475).
It comes as more than eight million children are returning to schools this week.
Many parents remain concerned that schools will not be able to cope with anti-coronavirus measures but have been told that attendance is mandatory.
British parents of one school in Manilva on the Costa del Sol told the Olive Press they are considering keeping their kids at home.
It came after the IES Las Vinas school released a statement saying it did not have enough government support to meet all the COVID-19 measures.
Meanwhile Barbate in Cadiz has also requested to delay re-opening its schools following a rise in cases.
But director of health emergencies Fernando Simon said at a press conference today that ‘the situation is similar to that of previous days.’
“If we count the delayed results, these last three days there have been between 7,000 and 8,000 cases each day,” he said.
Between 40% and 45% of the new cases are symptomatic, a figure that appears to be dropping, having been at 70% last week.
In the past week there have 237 deaths with Madrid counting the most with 74.
Meanwhile, hospital pressure from the virus remains at around 7%, ‘the same figures we saw on Thursday,’ added Simon, while the ICU pressure has increased only slightly.
“We are continuing with our very important testing effort,” said Fernando Simon.
“And we continue in an ascending phase of cases, especially in some specific Autonomous Communities.”
