Spain, which has been one of the countries worst hit in the

coronavirus pandemic, has reported its lowest daily death toll in

more than a month.

Its health ministry said earlier that 288 more people had died of
the virus, the lowest number since 20 March.

The figure is a steep drop from the 378 deaths recorded on

Saturday.

On Sunday, children under the age of 14 were allowed to leave

their homes for the first time in six weeks. They are now allowed
outside for one hour a day.

The health ministry said the total number of fatalities now stood at
23,190.

Fernando Simon, director of the Spanish Health Alert and

Emergency Co-ordination Centre, said: "For the first time in a long
time, we are below 300.

"Although it may be hard to give these statistics, it's a figure

which indicates a clear, positive direction in the evolution of the
epidemic."

What has changed for Spanish children?

The new lockdown conditions allow Spain's 6.3 million under-14s
to leave their homes each day for a total of one hour between
09:00 and 21:00, but without going further than one kilometre (0.6
mile).

Those over 13 are allowed to carry out errands for their parents,
as has been the case throughout the lockdown.

However, parents tend to prefer not to send their children out,

especially to enclosed places such as supermarkets, where there
is more risk of contagion.
Bicycles, skates and skateboards are allowed, but public parks
remain off-limits. The lockdown's other conditions remain in place
for the moment and schools remain closed; the government is
considering loosening the lockdown further in the second half of
May.

Psychologists have welcomed the lifting of restrictions for smaller

children, saying that even one hour outside each day can provide
an important boost to their state of mind.

"The change of routine, being outside and being in the sunlight - all
of that is extremely important," says Laura Piñeiro, a psychologist
and the director in Madrid of the charity Asociación Bienestar
Desarollo.