Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Photo: Xinhua

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez confirmed on Saturday a 15-day partial lockdown for Spain in a bid to control the spread of the coronavirus.

The nationwide lockdown, which requires all citizens to stay at home unless purchasing food, going to work with no option, or seeking health care, is one of a series of measures applied after Sanchez declared the application of a state of alert in the country which will come into effect at 8 a.m. local time on Monday morning.

Other measures agreed during Saturday's emergency cabinet meeting include mobilizing the military to assure food and medical supplies, closing schools, restaurants and bars on a nationwide level, promoting work from home and reducing the number of inter-city trains and buses.