Spanish PM’s wife tested positive for coronavirus

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s wife has tested positive for the coronavirus, officials in his office said late Saturday.

Officials said in a statement, both Begona Gomez and her husband were well, staying at their official residence and following the new measures introduced by the health authorities.

On Saturday, the country imposed a lockdown as the number of deaths in the country from the pathogen have more than doubled in a day to 288, with the number of infections near 8,000, Associated Press reported.

Spain became the second country worst-hit by the global pandemic after Italy, reports said.

After emerging in Wuhan last December, the virus is known as COVID-19, has spread to at least 136 countries and territories. The number of coronavirus cases worldwide has reached more than 156,000 with more than 5,800 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

The World Health Organization has declared that Europe is now the “epicenter” of the global coronavirus epidemic.

WHO’s chief urged the world to use aggressive action, community mobilisation and social distancing to save lives.