France and Spain to follow Italy into lockdown, Spain PM’s wife tests positive

In a photo taken on June 27, 2019, Spain's PM Pedro Sanchez and his wife Begona Gomez arrive ahead of the G-20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan. PHOTO: REUTERS. Sketched by the Pan Pacific Agency.

MADRID, Mar 15, 2020, Reuters, AP. Spain put its 47 million inhabitants under partial lockdown on Saturday (March 14) as part of a 15-day state of emergency to combat the coronavirus epidemic in Europe’s second worst-affected country by the disease after Italy, The Straits Times reported.

Effective immediately, all Spaniards must stay home except to buy food, medicines, go to work or to the hospital, or for emergencies.

Bars, restaurants, and shops selling anything but food and other staples must shut down. All leisure and sports activities also have to close, including cinemas, theatres, swimming pools and football grounds.

“We will (eventually) return to the routine of our jobs and again visit our friends and loved ones,” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a nationally televised address.

“Until that time comes, let’s not waste energies that are essential now. Let’s not lose our way,” he said, urging all to stay home.

Shortly after the announcement, the government said Mr Sanchez’s wife, Ms Begona Gomez, had tested positive for coronavirus.

Spain had 193 coronavirus deaths and 6,250 cases so far, public broadcaster TVE said, well up from 120 deaths reported last Friday.

Schools are shut across Spain and a first package of economic steps was announced last Thursday.

The government had been expected to announce further measures on Saturday to mitigate the economic and social impacts of the crisis, with aid for companies and workers. But after a seven-hour Cabinet meeting, ministers could not agree and Mr Sanchez said the measures would wait until the next meeting.

In the steps announced on Saturday, domestic transport will be curtailed from Monday, with airline, train and boat operators ordered to cut services by at least half and to ensure a maximum possible distance between passengers on all means of transport.

City buses and metro will still fully work and international flights are not affected.

Employers must let staff work remotely and the government said people should chose that option whenever possible. Most judicial proceedings are suspended.

Mr Sanchez said the measures would have a major impact on citizens and businesses, but promised the government would work to mitigate it.

“I want to tell the workers, the self-employed, and businesses that the government of Spain is going to do everything in its power to cushion the effects of this crisis,” he said.

The decree does not foresee closing the borders and allows exemptions: The green light to stay open applies to supermarkets and petrol stations, but also hairdressers.

‘DIFFICULT’ BUT ‘NECESSARY’

Spain’s Interior Ministry will control all police forces, including local and regional ones, under the 15-day emergency, and the armed forces would be on standby to help if needed.

The health and transport ministries would have nationwide reach, taking over some local or regional powers, which Catalan and Basque leaders immediately criticised.

A government source said the emergency measures envisage the possibility of ordering companies to produce certain goods, such as protective masks for instance.

Last Friday, the World Health Organisation said Europe had become the epicentre of a coronavirus pandemic.

Throughout Madrid, people went out on their balconies at 2100 GMT to show their gratitude to health workers by applauding. In the largely deserted streets below, reaction to the emergency measures was mixed.

“It’s going to be difficult,” university professor Leopoldo Agraz said of the confinement at home. “Whoever has to work at home like some colleague I have from the university, with five children at her side, is going to have a hard time.”

But others like student Carlos Losa said: “The truth is it’s necessary. It is necessary because I believe that the spread of the coronavirus has to be stopped.”

France ordered the closing of just about everything the rest of the world loves about it — the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the cafes, restaurants and cinema, AP reported, according to the Time.

More borders snapped shut around the globe: President Donald Trump announced that the U.S., which days ago barred travelers from much of Europe, will extend the ban to Britain and Ireland, where cases are on the rise. The president also disclosed that he had been tested for the virus; the results were not immediately released.

China, meanwhile, where the scourge first appeared late last year, continued to relax its drastic restrictions, illustrating the way the center of gravity in the crisis has shifted westward toward Europe. The virus has infected more than 150,000 people worldwide and killed over 5,600.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11 declared COVID-19 a pandemic, pointing to the over 118,000 cases of the coronavirus illness in over 110 countries and territories around the world and the sustained risk of further global spread.

In Italy, the worst-hit European country, the number of deaths climbed past 1,400 and infections surged roughly 20 percent overnight to more than 21,000 because of what authorities characterized as irresponsible behavior by people still socializing despite the nationwide lockdown. Many Italian cities, including Rome and Milan, decided to close playgrounds and parks, too.

Premier Giuseppe Conte has said production — particularly of food and health supplies — must not stop. On Saturday, union and industrial leaders reached an agreement to keep factories running.

But luxury sports car maker Ferrari said it was suspending production at two plants, citing concern for its employees and serious disruptions in the flow of supplies.

At noon, people around Italy came out on their balconies, terraces or gardens or leaned out their windows to clap for several minutes in a gesture of thanks to medical workers.

For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover in a matter of weeks.

Paris followed other cities in shuttering major tourist attractions, and France announced it was closing all restaurants, cafes, theaters and nonessential shops starting Sunday. France has recorded at least 3,600 infections. It has banned all gatherings of more than 100 people, ordered all schools closed and asked companies to allow workers to stay home.

France pressed ahead with plans for nationwide municipal elections on Sunday but ordered special measures to keep people at a safe distance and to sanitize surfaces. Voters were advised to bring their own pen to sign the voting register.

In Britain, the death toll nearly doubled from the day before to 21, and the number of people infected rose to over 1,100. Ireland had 90 confirmed cases and one death as of Friday. Greece’s infection total approached 230 with three deaths, and police there arrested 45 shopkeepers Saturday for violating a ban on operations.

The U.S. reported 51 deaths — including the first in New York — and more than 2,100 cases. In hard-hit Washington state, where 37 have died and 560 have been infected, officials said the disease is straining the supply of protective gear available to medical providers despite shipments from the federal government.

Europeans countries moved to isolate themselves from their neighbors.

Denmark closed its borders and halted passenger traffic to and from the country. Travelers will be turned away at the border if they are unable to show that they have “a legitimate reason” to enter — for example, if they are Danish citizens or residents.

“I know that the overall list of measures is very extreme and will be seen as very extreme, but I am convinced that it’s worth it,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said.

Poland planned to close is borders at midnight and deny all foreigners entry unless they lived in Poland or had personal ties there. The Czech Republic and Slovakia took similar action. Lithuania said it was introducing border checks at the frontiers with Poland and Latvia.

Russia said its borders with Norway and Poland will be closed to most foreigners beginning Sunday.

In the Middle East, Iran’s death toll reached 611, with nearly 13,000 infections, including senior government officials.

In the Pacific, New Zealand announced that incoming passengers, including citizens, will be required to isolate themselves for 14 days, with few exceptions.

In the Philippines, thousands of police, backed by the army and coast guard, started sealing the densely populated capital of Manila from most domestic travelers Sunday in one of Southeast Asia’s most drastic containment moves against the virus. Authorities also announced a night curfew in the metropolitan area of 12 million people.

The measures increasingly mirror those taken by China, which in January quarantined more than 60 million people, starting with the epicenter, Wuhan, in the province of Hubei.

The spread of COVID-19 in China has slowed dramatically, according to the National Health Commission. After reporting thousands of new cases per day only a month ago, the commission said Saturday that there were 13 new deaths and just 11 new cases, including people who recently arrived in China from other affected countries like Italy.

Wuhan is now the only city in Hubei still designated “high-risk.” Several Hubei municipalities are gradually resuming public transportation and reopening businesses. Parks, museums and art galleries have reopened in Shanghai.

Moulson reported from Berlin. Associated Press writers Aritz Parra in Madrid, Yanan Wang in Beijing, Frances D’Emilio in Rome, Joseph Wilson in Barcelona, Spain, Andrew Taylor in Washington, Karel Janicek in Prague, Nick Perry in Christchurch, New Zealand, and Jim Gomez in Manila contributed to this report.

Share it


Exclusive: Beyond the Covid-19 world's coverage