Spain revises Covid-19 deaths upwards to above 28,000

Published June 19, 2020
Priests and other members of the religious community attend the celebration of the first mass after the national lockdown to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 disease, at the Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona on June 19, 2020. (Photo by LLUIS GENE / AFP) — AFP or licensors
Priests and other members of the religious community attend the celebration of the first mass after the national lockdown to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 disease, at the Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona on June 19, 2020. (Photo by LLUIS GENE / AFP) — AFP or licensors

Spain's health ministry raised its coronavirus death toll to 28,313 on Friday after ironing out database inconsistencies, and said the disease was under control in Spain's nine remaining active clusters as it prepared to reopen to tourism, Reuters reports.

The death toll had not been updated since June 7, when Spain reported 27,136 deaths while it was implementing a new methodology for logging cases and deaths.

The new tally includes 53 fatalities over the past week till Thursday.

Priests and other members of the religious community attend the celebration of the first mass after the national lockdown to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 disease, at the Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona on June 19, 2020. — AFP
Priests and other members of the religious community attend the celebration of the first mass after the national lockdown to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 disease, at the Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona on June 19, 2020. — AFP

Spain is preparing to end its state of emergency on Sunday, allowing free travel across the country and opening up its borders to much-needed European tourism.

Health Minister Salvador Illa said all arriving passengers would have their temperature taken, submit information on whether they have had the virus — which could prompt further tests — as well as provide their whereabouts in Spain.

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