Spanish President Pedro Sanchez on the Coronavirus Pandemic : “All of Europe was late but Spain acted earlier.”

THE Spanish President has boasted of his management of the coronavirus pandemic saying: “All of Europe came late but Spain acted earlier, we are getting close to the beginning of the end, the fire is under control.”

The President of the government has summonsed all the political parties to a meeting next week to try to reach together a “pact for the social and economic reconstruction” of the country.

Pedro Sánchez has asked Congress for support to extend for a second time the state of alarm and the confinement of citizens, at least until April 26, while he has boasted of his administration saying: “All of Europe was late but Spain acted earlier.” 

 “The global magnitude of this pandemic is terrifying, really high. These are shockingly extraordinary times that require exceptional measures,” he said, urging all parliamentary forces to vote in favour of another extension to the lockdown.

“Confinement remains an essential measure. The alarm state is working and we see how the fire that unleashed the pandemic begins to be under control. We begin to see the end of the road and we cannot back down,” he explained.

But, he warned, “if the ascent has been hard, the descent will not be less than it will be progressive.” “We will have to reformulate some aspects of our way of living, but that will be later, there is still time.”

Now it is time to design the de-escalation phase and in this, he assured, the government is working with a team that is designing the return to a “new normality with individual and collective, hygiene, sanitary and technological measures for the control of the pandemic.”

Scientists have established “markers” that will determine the rate of progress, it will be based on them how to return to that normality. “All steps will be staggered and very cautious,” the president has warned. The first step will be taken this next week with the dehibernation of the activities considered not strictly essential that was decreed 10 days ago.

“The government,” said Sánchez, “has always followed and will always follow the advice of the WHO.”

“Spain needs the flag of unity,” he has claimed, emphasising the “danger of disinformation and the spread of false news spread by a million and a half false profiles on social networks.” In this sense, he has asked the political forces for “responsibility” to put aside the ideological quarrels and join the common struggle.