After Italy, Spain announced on Saturday March 14 an almost total isolation of its inhabitants who can only leave their homes to go to work or buy food in particular, in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
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The announcement of this emergency measure, which falls within the framework of the state of alert decreed Saturday for two weeks, comes while 1500 new cases have been registered since Friday evening. In total, more than 5,700 cases have been detected and at least 183 people have died in the country which is the second most affected in Europe behind Italy, which has already taken such measures.
" The ban on driving on the streets (...) must be followed from today, " said Pedro Sanchez during a speech on television. Spaniards will be able to leave their homes to go to " work ", " buy bread ", go to the pharmacy, get treatment, take care of elderly relatives or those in dependence but " not to go to dinner with a friend or drink a coffee, ”insisted Pedro Sanchez.
Law enforcement officials will be responsible for enforcing the ban, he said. " The measures we are adopting are drastic and will unfortunately have consequences " but " our hand will not shake to prevail against the virus, " said Pedro Sanchez. " It is a battle that we will win (...) but the important thing is that the price to be paid for this victory is as low as possible, " said the Spanish leader.
The state of alert allows the central government to regain control
Pedro Sanchez also indicated that all non-essential businesses would be closed across the country. A measure already taken in several regions such as Madrid, the most affected in Spain with nearly 3000 cases, and Andalusia.
In a highly decentralized country, the state of alert also allows the State to take over the management of the whole territory in matters of health and law enforcement in particular. Responding to a call launched on social networks, residents applauded at 9:00 p.m. GMT in several neighborhoods of Madrid to pay tribute to health workers, AFP journalists found.
