Spanish PM to extend State of Alarm until April 25

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez confirmed on Saturday that he would ask for the State of Alarm to be extended until "24 hours on April 25".

Sanchez explained the decision, which he admitted "was hard" for everyone, in a televised press conference from his official residence at the Palacio de la Moncloa.

The State of Alarm was originally imposed in Spain on March 14. This is the second time Sanchez has extended it and the corresponding virtual lockdown of the Spanish population, with the previous extension due to expire on April 12.

"We need to maintain the same discipline and the same tenacity," he explained, adding the three weeks of lockdown had served to "slow the spread of the virus, slowed the number of people going into hospital and allowed the number of people leaving hospital to increase."

(XINHUA)