Spain holds off on curfews, but struggles to contain COVID-19

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez exhorted Spaniards on Friday to further limit social contact to combat Europe’s worst COVID-19 hotspot, but he stopped short of announcing new measures amid political disputes over potential curfews. Quarrelling between the Socialist-led government and mostly conservative regions - and also among regions themselves - has hampered the response to the pandemic for months, exasperating citizens and fostering uncertainty. With total cases soaring this week to over a million, the health minister said the pandemic was out of control and recommended curfews, which several European countries with fewer COVID-19 cases have already implemented in the past days.