In about-turn, Catalonia seeks Spanish military help for coronavirus

FILE PHOTO: Women wear protective face masks as they walk through an empty Plaza de Catalunya (Catalonia Square), amidst concerns over coronavirus outbreak, in Barcelona, Spain March 14, 2020. REUTERS/Nacho Doce/File Photo

BARCELONA (Reuters) - The separatist government of Spain's Catalonia region abandoned its initial reluctance and asked the national military on Thursday for assistance in tackling the coronavirus.

Spain has the world's second highest death toll after Italy, and Catalonia is its second worst-hit region with 2,093 deaths and 21,804 cases recorded and 1,855 people in intensive care.