Coronavirus in Spain full update (12 May)

Latest: Coronavirus in Spain figures (21 May)

ALSO READ: Lifting of lockdown in Spain – full details of all phases, regions & provinces, plus what is permitted in each phase

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Report below updated in Spain at 13.15h on Tuesday 12 May

CORONAVIRUS in SPAIN – today’s figures

The latest official figures* for Coronavirus (Covid-19) released by Spain’s Health Ministry in Madrid at 12 noon on Tuesday 12 May confirm that 26,920 people have now died from the pandemic in Spain, up by 176 on yesterday.

Monday had seen an increase of 123 Coronavirus-related deaths over Sunday – the lowest figure since 18 March. Sunday had been an increase of 143 over Saturday. Saturday had been 179.

The current peak of recorded deaths related to Coronavirus in a 24-hour period in Spain was on 2 April, when 950 deaths were registered.

Official figures released daily by the Spanish Health Ministry are for the total number of people who have tested positive for Coronavirus only through a PCR test (polymerase chain reaction). That figure for Tuesday 12 May is 228,030 – an increase of 426 over yesterday.

Monday’s figure for the increase of infections tested only through PCR had been 373 over Sunday. Sunday’s comparative figure had been 621 over Saturday. Saturday had been 604.

A total figure also released today by the ministry for those who have tested positive through PCR and antibody testing, however, is 269,520 (228,030 PCR; 41,490 antibody).

The current peak of recorded infections for a 24-hour period in Spain was on 31 March, when 9,222 new cases were registered (including from PCR and antibody).

138,980 people have now made a full recovery.

With regards the official figures released by the central Health Ministry for each region of Spain, there have been discrepancies in the data released independently by some of those regions, particularly for Madrid and Catalonia. Please refer to *Health Ministry data and regional discrepancies below.

Of the official figures released by the ministry today – and based only on the total 228,030 confirmed cases through PCR testing – there have now been 64,972 cases in the Madrid region and where 8,720 have died (from the total 26,920 across the country). There have been 55,144 cases in Catalonia and where 5,621 have died.

There are now 13,176 known cases in the Basque Country (1,429 deaths), 12,293 in Andalusia (1,326), 16,431 in Castilla La Mancha (2,811) and 10,740 in the Valencia region (1,336).

Figures for those infected with Coronavirus in other regions are now as follows: Aragón 5,359 (828 deaths), Asturias 2,351 (304 deaths), Balearic Islands 1,953 (210), Canary Islands 2,268 (151), Cantabria 2,246 (203), Castilla y León 18,048 (1,914), Ceuta 114 (4), Extremadura 2,919 (487), Galicia 9,291 (595), Melilla 119 (2), Murcia 1,517 (139), Navarra 5,081 (493) and La Rioja 4,008 (347).

A full breakdown in Spanish of the data per region, together with age group statistics can be found by clicking here. Please also see Health Ministry data and discrepancies below.

ALSO READ: Lifting of lockdown in Spain – full details of all phases & regions

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Spain orders 14-day quarantine for international arrivals

International travellers arriving to Spain will have to self-quarantine for 14 days, according to a new order published on Tuesday in the Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE) by the Spanish Interior Ministry.

The order comes into effect this Friday 15 May and is to remain in place during of the ‘state of alarm’. This is currently due to end on 24 May, but could be extended again. If so, the quarantine restrictions would also continue.

During 14 days, international travellers arriving in Spain will have to stay at home or wherever they are due to lodge, and their movements will be limited to basic activities only, such as buying necessary products, for health reasons, or force majeure.

Those crossing the border into Spain will also be obliged to wear a face mask and comply with all hygiene and safety measures.

Cross-border workers, freight drivers, cargo workers, transport crew, diplomatic staff and health workers are to be excluded from this rule, as long as they have not been in contact with anyone diagnosed with Coronavirus.

All travel agencies and transport companies need to inform their clients of these measures before confirming the sale of tickets to Spain. Airlines will need to hand forms to passengers for details of where they will be staying, and these will have to be completed by travellers to Spain on arrival.

The order in the BOE also still restricts the entry to ports and airports to Spanish nationals, residents in Spain, and those who arrive for work reasons.

The measure also affects the Schengen area, so it will be communicated to all EU member states, the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the European Council.

When the Spanish Congress recently voted to officially extend the current ‘state of alarm’ lockdown until 24 May, it was the fourth time that it had been extended, having originally started on 14 March. The lockdown is in place as Spain also continues with the four phase de-escalation plan of gradually lifting restrictions, depending on the progress of each region and province.

Last Thursday, however, Spain’s first deputy prime minister Carmen Calvo said in an interview that it was almost certain that Spain would still need ‘some more weeks’ of lockdown even further than 24 May.

CORONAVIRUS in SPAIN – latest updates

On Monday around 51% of the Spanish population moved to Phase One of the government’s four-phase plan to lift lockdown restrictions.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had called for ‘prudence and caution’ ahead of the first key phase of the de-escalation plan, following the ‘preparatory’ Phase Zero.

We have published all the key rules and measures regarding the four phases in a separate report, together with the current ‘phase status’ for each region and province. It is regularly updated as and when new measures are announced. The report can be found here: Lifting of lockdown in Spain – full details of all phases for all regions.

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*Health Ministry data 

From 24 April, the Spanish Health Ministry changed its criteria for presenting Coronavirus statistics. The official daily figure for the number of infections is now for those tested only via PCR (polymerase chain reaction).

The ministry also stipulated to Spain’s regional health authorities how the overall data should be collated, as some regions had been using different methods to collate their own figures.

All regions must now report deaths and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions in the same way. A victim can only be counted in the death tally if they have tested positive for Covid-19 via a PCR (polymerase chain reaction testing) or rapid test.

Salvador Illa, Spain’s Health Minister, said that, ‘Spain is following a very strict definition of cases in line with international authorities, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Anyone who tests positive for Covid-19 and then dies is considered a Coronavirus fatality’.

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