Coronavirus: Spanish deaths surge close to 500

Deaths from coronavirus in Spain surged to 491 on Tuesday from 309 the day before, health officials have said.

The number of confirmed cases also soared by 2,000 to 11,178, as Spain closed its borders and maintained a partial lockdown on 47 million people.

Death tolls have increased elsewhere, with Iran reporting 135 more, taking its official total close to 1,000.

The EU planned to ban all non-essential travel from outside the bloc, as France started its own strict lockdown.

The EU travel ban will be in place for at least 30 days. It will affect all foreign visitors except long-term residents, family members of EU nationals and diplomats, cross-border and healthcare workers, and people transporting goods.

EU leaders will discuss the measures via videoconference later on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Euro 2020 football competition has been postponed by a year.

Source: bbc.com