Spain’s Business Leaders Fear Second Lockdown as Virus Surges

The number of Covid-19 infections in Spain continued to rise, prompting warnings from business leaders about the cost to the economy if new lockdown measures have to be imposed. New cases jumped by 2,987 on Friday compared with 2,935 in the previous 24-hour period, the health ministry said late Thursday. It was the highest tally since at least May 25 when the government changed its methodology for reporting data. CEOE, Spain’s main business lobby, on Thursday warned that any second lockdown would have catastrophic consequences and urged the government to promote the use of a new app developed by the Economy Ministry to trace cases of Covid-19. On Friday, the government announced a series of measures including curbs on smoking, bars and closing nightclubs to contain the spread of the virus.