As part of efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 Spain will deploy its army to help identify those who have been exposed to people infected with the virus, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday, August 25.

Sanchez told local media that the central government will make 2,000 soldiers who are trained in tracking available to the regions, which are responsible for health care, to assist in tracking cases and stem a rise in infections, he told a news conference.

We could even increase this figure as required through the urgent training which we have planned," He said.

Additionally, the minister announced that regional authorities could ask the central government to apply a state of emergency, which would allow it to limit people's movements, on part or all of its territory.

However, while the rise in infections in Spain is "worrying", it is "far from the situation in mid-March", Sanchez said.

"We can't let the pandemic to once again take control of our lives... we must take control and halt this second curve."

Infections have risen sharply since Spain lifted the lockdown, but deaths have been much lower than during the epidemic's peak.

The country has more than 400,000 confirmed cases of respiratory disease, the highest in western Europe, and one of the fastest growth rates on the continent.

Nearly 29,000 people have died, making it one of the world's highest tolls.