Coronavirus: Free our children from lockdown, says Barcelona mayor (BBC)

four children standing on dirt during daytime

Barcelona's mayor has called for an end to strict coronavirus lockdown measures in Spain which bar children from going out for any reason.

"These children need to get out," Ada Colau wrote on Facebook, herself the mother of youngsters aged three and nine.

"Wait no more: Free our children!"

Spain - which has the most confirmed cases in Europe - is the only country on the continent where children cannot leave home at all.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced the nationwide lockdown on 14 March. It has since been extended until at least 26 April - though people in construction, manufacturing and some service jobs were allowed to return to work this week.

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Rules for children differ widely from country to country, with schools and kindergartens already reopening in Denmark on Wednesday.

According to Johns Hopkins University data, worldwide cases of the virus have risen to more than two million.

While the spread of infections appears to be easing in much of Europe, the continent has recorded hundreds of thousands of infections - with Spain alone accounting for 19,130 deaths and almost 183,000 cases. A further 551 deaths were recorded in the past 24 hours, officials said on Thursday.

One of the main centres of the Spanish outbreak has been in the Catalonia region of which Barcelona is the capital.

Hans Kluge, World Health Organization's Europe director, said on Thursday while there were "optimistic signs" in Europe, the next few weeks would be "critical".

The decision to keep children inside is becoming increasingly controversial in Spain.

Deputy Prime Minister Pablo Iglesias has come under fire after he said he was "very lucky" his three children have a garden, adding he was "aware that millions of families had children in their apartments of 40, 50 or 60m".

Conservative politician Mario Gracés Sanagustín tweeted it was "not lucky" he had a garden but in fact part of his "social shield".

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