The Spanish parliament has given the green light to extend the state of emergency by more than two weeks.
That means that in principle Spaniards have to stay at home until April 26 because of the corona crisis.
The left-wing government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez received support from the largest opposition party, the conservative Partido Popular, among others.
However, he strongly criticizes how Sánchez copes with the crisis. PP leader Pablo Casado said the death toll per capita is unprecedentedly high compared to other countries.
Spain is one of the countries most affected by the pandemic worldwide. More than 15,000 patients have died, and over 150,000 infections have been reported. The army has been deployed to set up emergency hospitals.
The prime minister warned that the crisis measures should probably be extended again. However, he called the last figures hopeful.
“We are beginning to control the fire,” said the left-wing leader in the nearly empty parliament.