The Irish Examiner View: Too early to stand down our defences

Only an out-of-season Scrooge could begrudge the excitement Spanish children and their parents will feel at the prospect of being allowed out of their homes next week. Many of them have been confined to barracks since March 14.

On Saturday, prime minister Pedro Sánchez said Spain had left behind “the most extreme moments and contained the brutal onslaught of the pandemic”. Though the country has recorded more than 20,000 deaths its toll has slowed to a one-month low. Yesterday afternoon the country was on track to publish the lowest daily increase since March 22.