Spain declares six-month state of alarm amid coronavirus surge

The Spanish government declared the second country-wide state of alarm of the coronavirus pandemic on Sunday afternoon, this time delegating emergency powers to regional authorities like the Catalan government for as long as six months.

Spanish president Pedro Sánchez imposed a night curfew and announced plans to extend the state of alarm until May, pending congressional approval.

"We think we can get over it without a total lockdown, without stopping the country," said Spanish president Pedro Sánchez in a press conference while urging Spaniards to stay home.

After weeks of increasingly dire Covid-19 figures, when Spain became the first state in Western Europe to surpass one million cases, Catalonia and other regions called for a new state of alarm to expand executive powers and be able to pass more restrictive measures while leapfrogging judicial oversight.