James Warren
SPAIN’S Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, has announced that the country’s leaders will gather next month to pay tribute to the millions affected by the coronavirus.
In a special statement given on Wednesday in Parliament, the PM said: “There will be a state ceremony on July 16th to honour our 27,000 fellow countrymen who lost their lives that will also pay homage to those public servants who have been fighting on the frontline against the pandemic.”
King of Spain, King Felipe VI will host the ceremony, flanked by dignitaries and members of parliament.
All the country’s political leaders will be present, alongside EU Council Chief Charles Michel and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.
European Parliament leader David Sassoli, World Health Organization head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and EU Diplomat Josep Borrell will also be in attendance.
The ceremony will take place on July 16 outside the Royal Palace in Madrid, and will be broadcast on national television throughout.
Last month, the nation gathered together to take part in 10 days of official mourning, the longest period of mourning since the demise of the Franco dictatorship in 1975.
Spain has been ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, with 27,136 official deaths so far and 244,000 cases, making it the sixth worst hit nation in the world.
