The wife of Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sanchez has tested positive for coronavirus as the country goes into lockdown.

Begona Gomez and the prime minister are in good health, Spain's government said. Two ministers of Mr Sanchez's cabinet had already tested positive for the virus earlier this week.

It comes as Spain has implemented a lockdown similar to the one already imposed in Italy.

Mr Sanchez used a national televised address to announce the exceptional measures his government will put in place during a two-week state of emergency to combat the rise in infections.

Authorities said the number of infections had climbed past 5,700, half of them in Madrid alone, since the first case was detected in late January.

That represents an increase of more than 1,500 in 24 hours.

On Sunday, the British government advised its citizens against all but essential travel to Spain amid the outbreak. It said transport services to the country will be operating at reduced levels.

Planes turned around in mid-air after Jet2 cancelled all flights to Spain on Saturday as the country prepared to lockdown over the coronavirus outbreak.

People in Spain are now only allowed to leave their homes to buy food and medicine, commute to work, go to hospitals and banks, or take trips to care for the young and elderly.

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All schools and universities are closed, along with restaurants, bars and hotels in Spain - which is Europe's second worst-affected country after Italy.

"From now we enter into a new phase," Mr Sanchez said. "We won't hesitate in doing what we must to beat the virus. We are putting health first."