Spain's coronavirus cases top 100,000 as masks, sanitizer flown in

Confirmed coronavirus cases inSpain rose beyond 100,000 as it recorded its biggest one-daydeath toll from the outbreak on Wednesday, astwo planes packedwith protective equipment arrived to restock an overloadedpublic health system.

Barring Italy, the virus has killed more people in Spainthan anywhere else, triggering a lockdown that has broughteconomic activity to a virtual standstill. A survey showedSpain's manufacturing sector is heading for a slump aftershrinking in March at its steepest pace since 2013.

A record 864 fatalities on Tuesday took the country'soverall toll to 9,053 as total infections rose to 102,136,health ministry data showed. The ministry said the percentageincrease in deaths was lower than in recent days.

Most of Spain has been under a strict lockdown since March14 which was tightened further on Tuesday with all but essential workers confined to their homes. Butthe virus has continued to spread, overburdening the healthsystem and straining supplies of crucial medical equipment.

Equipment being flown in

Two planes carrying supplies including masks, overalls andanti-bacterial fluids one from China and one from Turkey landed on Wednesday at a military airport near Madrid, the defence ministry said.

Health Minister Salvador Illa said seven million pieces ofprotective equipment would be distributed among health workersfollowing these deliveries, bringing the total to 18 millionitems since the outbreak began.

A cluster of infections has sprung up around Moncloa Palace,the seat of Spain's government, with three ministers catchingthe virus as well as Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's wife andfather-in-law.

Three members of the five-strong coronavirus task force,which has been updating the nation on the epidemic via dailybriefings televised from the palace, have also tested positive.

In the first two weeks of the lockdown, calls to agovernment help line for victims of gender violence shot up, itsaid.

In another sign of how the emergency measures have hobbledspending, new car sales in March fell nearly 70 per centfrom a yearago, official figures showed on Wednesday. That compares to a six per centyear-on-year drop in February.