Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez | Pool photo by Mariscal/AFP via Getty Images Spanish PM calls for EU ‘Marshall Plan’ to stop the coronavirus Pedro Sánchez says he will ask MPs to approve an extension of the country’s state of alarm by a further 15 days.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called on Sunday for an EU "Marshall Plan" to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

He praised the European Commission for its response to the public health crisis so far, but added that an EU-wide plan to revitalize the Continent's economy will be needed.

“This is a crisis that is affecting all of the EU. We need to articulate a grand Marshall Plan of reconstruction," Sánchez said at a press conference. "We are making an extraordinary fiscal effort, but it is important that it is not only at the national level."

The country's interior ministry has restricted entry for most foreigners at air and sea ports for the next 30 days, starting at midnight, it said in a statement Sunday. Spanish nationals, foreigners living in Spain, air crew, cargo and health workers and diplomats will be allowed to travel as normal, the ministry said in its statement, according to Reuters.

The number of cases in Spain has ballooned, with experts warning the country is about a week behind Italy, which has seen the most recorded deaths from COVID-19 in the world. Madrid declared a “state of alarm” last Monday, and announced a package to pump €200 billion into the economy to counteract the effects of the coronavirus. Sánchez said Sunday that he will ask MPs to approve an extension of the state of alarm by a further 15 days until April 12.

He also announced that regional governments will be given powers to oversee private care homes. Some regional authorities had complained they were not informed of cases of outbreaks at such facilities.

This article has been updated.

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