The Government says it regretfully confirms the death of a fifth resident of Gibraltar related to COVID-19.

The deceased was a man aged between 45 and 50 years old, who also suffered from underlying health conditions. The patient died this afternoon from multi-organ failure as a result of COVID-19 pneumonia and sepsis.

The death will be reported in tomorrow statistics as a death from COVID-19.

The Chief Minister, the Hon Fabian Picardo, said: ‘It is with a very heavy heart that we must announce the second death in Gibraltar on the same day due to COVID-19. I also knew the deceased personally, from our school days and more recently from my role in government, and am deeply saddened to hear of his passing, too young and too soon. This is therefore a genuinely sad and difficult announcement to make, not least because of his age.

‘In just 11 short days, Gibraltar has sadly mourned the deaths of 5 members of our community to this vicious virus. Less than 2 weeks ago, we had lost nobody. It is a dreadful confirmation of how dangerous COVID-19 is, especially for the most vulnerable. A salutary reminder of why we have to take care and why the restrictions we have in place are regrettably necessary and essential for protecting all of us in the community.’