BREAKING NEWS

Coronavirus causes Spain to authorize two more weeks of lockdown

MADRID - Spain's coronavirus lockdown was extended on Thursday to last until at least April 12 as Europe's second-worst hit country struggled to tackle a fast increase in the death toll.

Parliament voted in the early hours of Thursday to extend emergency measures - including the state of lockdown that has seen people confined to their homes except for essential trips for food, medicine and work.

Confirmed cases in Spain have jumped 10-fold since the state of emergency was imposed on March 14, while its death toll exceeded China's on Wednesday, with 738 lives lost in a single day.

"It is not easy to extend the state of emergency," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in Parliament. "I am convinced the only efficient option against the virus is social isolation."