Spain, Amid Slowdown of New Virus Cases and Deaths, Prepares for ‘De-Escalation’

A security guard wearing a face mask and gloves holds a branch of olive tree before the celebration of the Palm Sunday mass at the Santa Maria de Montserrat abbey in Monistrol de Montserrat on April 5, 2020, Josep Lago/AFP via Getty Images

Spain continued reporting a slowdown of new CCP virus cases and deaths on Monday as top officials prepare to lift restrictive lockdown measures that have been in place for over three weeks.

Spain’s Ministry of Health reported 637 deaths overnight from COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus. The pace of new deaths, about 5 percent, was about half the pace of a week before.