Coronavirus: State of emergency declared in Spain

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced a new state of emergency on Sunday in an effort to curb soaring coronavirus infections, imposing local nightime curfews and banning travel between regions in certain cases.

"We are living in an extreme situation...it is the most serious in the last half century," he told a news conference following a cabinet meeting.

The measure goes into force from Sunday night and will require all regions except the Canary Islands to impose a nighttime curfew. The state of emergency will need parliamentary approval to last beyond 15 days.