Spain will slowly ease its nationwide lockdown in the second half of May, the prime minister said, provided authorities stay "on top of the virus". Pedro Sánchez asked parliament in Madrid for a third extension to the state of emergency until 9 May. The government has also announced looser restrictions on children, allowing them to leave the house. Spain imposed its lockdown on 14 March, with some of the tightest restrictions in Europe. Currently, children are not allowed outside for any reason. After mounting criticism, the government announced plans on Tuesday to allow those aged 14 and under out for walks from 26 April. Construction and manufacturing businesses were allowed to resume work last week, albeit under strict new social distancing and safety measures. Spain currently has the most confirmed coronavirus infections in Europe. Latest data released on Wednesday show the death toll stands at 21,717, rising by 435 in the past 24 hours - the second consecutive day-on-day rise. The total number of confirmed cases has risen to 208,389