Spain offers more aid for households, small businesses hit by coronavirus

FILE PHOTO: A pharmacy employee walks on an empty street of Ronda, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, southern Spain, March 30, 2020. REUTERS/Jon Nazca

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain offered more help to households and small companies on Tuesday to try to calm fears about the country's mothballed economy and shield the population from losing their homes during the coronavirus lockdown.

Infections and deaths from the virus are still rising, but health officials said the pace had slowed in the past few days. Confirmed cases rose by about 11% to 94,417 and the death toll hit 8,189 after 849 fatalities were reported overnight.