COVID-19: Spain makes masks compulsory on public transport

Madrid: Masks will be compulsory on public transport in Spain from Monday as the country moves to gradually relax its tough lockdown.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the government would distribute 6 million masks, mainly at transport locations, and give another 7 million to local authorities, the BBC reported on Saturday.

Adults in Spain were able to exercise outdoors on Saturday for the first time in seven weeks.

The lockdown was eased for children under 14 a week ago.

Lockdowns in other European countries are also being eased, though social distancing remains in force. Some countries require mask-wearing in shops and on public transport.

Italy has Europe's highest death toll from coronavirus, closely followed by the UK and then Spain (though experts caution that countries do not record death figures in exactly the same way).

The UK's figures show hundreds of people are still falling victim to Covid-19 every day - on Saturday the deaths of a further 621 people were announced.

Both France and Italy recorded fewer than 200 deaths in a 24-hour period.

Italy announced another 474 deaths on Saturday, a larger number than in recent days, but according to La Repubblica that figure includes 282 deaths outside of hospitals in April which were not included in earlier figures.