Drone shows near empty streets of Barcelona

Life on the streets of central Barcelona has all but ground to a halt amid Spain's coronavirus lockdown.

Footage released by Catalan regional police showed a seaside metropolis devoid of tourists, cars and the hubbub of city life.

Spanish health authorities say that reported COVID-19 cases and deaths have gone down again after a two-day uptick, hopefully signaling a return to the overall pandemic slowdown.

The Health Ministry on Thursday reported 5,756 new cases and 683 new deaths over the previous 24-hour period. Wednesday saw 6,180 new cases and 757 new deaths.

Overall, Spain has confirmed 152,446 infections and 15,238 fatalities since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, situating it as one of the world’s hardest-hit countries alongside the United States and Italy.

Over 52,000 patients have also recovered in Spain, as pressure has eased slightly on its hospitals.

Like many countries, Spain is struggling to gauge the true extent of the virus outbreak due to a lag in testing of the general population.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

But the virus is highly contagious and can be spread by those with mild or no visible symptoms.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and could lead to death.

Authorities have recognized that thousands of elderly people have died in nursing homes without being tested. Only deaths of people who had tested positive are being included in the official statistics.

The latest figures were released as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez appeared before the national Parliament to ask for its endorsement of a second two-week extension of Spain’s state of emergency that permits the lockdown against the virus.

Support is expected after the main opposition party said it would back the Socialist-led coalition government.