Coronavirus: Spain plans return to 'new normal' by end of June

Spain has announced a four-phase plan to lift its stringent coronavirus lockdown and return to a "new normality" by the end of June.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said each region would relax restrictions at a different pace, depending on the severity of its outbreak, BBC reports.

Four Spanish islands will be first to ease measures from 4 May, with the rest of Spain following a week later.

Spain's coronavirus outbreak has so far killed almost 24,000 people.

The country has endured some of the world's toughest containment measures since 14 March, with children banned from going outside for six weeks.

There are signs the epidemic is now in decline, however. On Tuesday Spain's daily toll of registered virus deaths was 301, according to its health ministry, compared to a high of 950 in early April. The number of new infections also fell to 1,308 on Tuesday, its lowest level since Spain declared a state of alarm on 14 March.

On Sunday, Spanish children under the age of 14 were finally permitted to leave their homes - for one hour a day, between 09:00 and 21:00.