Report updated in Spain at 18.15h on 30 March.
Official figures released by the Spanish Health Ministry at 12 noon on Monday 30 March confirmed 85,195 known cases of Coronavirus (Covid-19) in Spain, 6,398 more than yesterday. 7,340 people have died from the pandemic (up by 812 from yesterday). Sunday’s figure was a rise of 838 deaths compared to Saturday.
There are 46,617 people in hospital, of which 5,231 are in intensive care. 16,780 people have now made a full recovery, which is 2,071 more than yesterday.
Of the official figures announced, 24,090 confirmed cases are known to be in the Madrid region, and where 3,392 have died (from the total 7,340 across the country).
There are now 16,157 cases in Catalonia (1,410 deaths), 6,057 in the Basque Country (297 deaths), 5,405 in Andalusia (236), 5,858 in Castilla La Mancha (622) and 5,110 in Valencia (310).
Figures for those infected with Coronavirus in other regions are as follows: Aragón 2,078 (106 deaths), Asturias 1,158(49 deaths), Balearic Islands 1,000 (37), Canary Islands 1,204 (40), Cantabria 1,100 (27), Castilla y León 5,801 (442), Ceuta 25 (1), Extremadura 1,560 (106), Galicia 3,723 (66), Melilla 51 (1), Murcia 939 (25), Navarra 2,146 (102) and La Rioja 1,733 (71).
GLOBAL OVERVIEW
Coronavirus (Covid-19) has now killed more than 33,000 people worldwide, with the number of confirmed cases nearing 700,000.
As of Monday, an estimated total of more than 3.38 billion people worldwide have now been asked or ordered to follow strict confinement measures.
In the United States, president Donald Trump has extended emergency restrictions after one of his top medical advisers, Anthony Fauci, warned that up to 200,000 people could die there. Trump called it a ‘horrible number’ and said he was extending his government’s ‘social distancing’ guidelines until 30 April to ‘slow the spread’ of the virus.
On Monday Moscow also imposed a lockdown in a bid to slow the spread of the Coronavirus. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has also asked Russia’s regional authorities to make similar preparations. The measures coincide with the beginning of a ‘non-working’ week declared by President Vladimir Putin last week.
China reported a drop in new Coronavirus cases for the fourth consecutive day on Sunday. Beijing has sought to stamp out the risk of a second wave of infections by shutting its borders to foreign travellers.
In the UK, Dominic Cummings, the senior adviser to prime minister Boris Johnson (already confirmed with Coronavirus) is also self-isolating after developing symptoms. England’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jenny Harries warned on Sunday that the country could eventually face some form of lockdown or restrictions for up to 6 months.
CORONAVIRUS in SPAIN
Fernando Simón, director of the Spanish Health Ministry’s Coordination Centre for Health Alerts, has tested positive for Coronavirus.
Just before midnight on Sunday night, the new measures regarding ‘non-essential‘ workers during the Coronavirus lockdown in Spain were published in the government’s official gazette – the Boletín Oficial del Estado.
It followed an extraordinary cabinet meeting held on Sunday, during which the Spanish government approved the new measures announced by prime minister Pedro Sánchez during his televised address on Saturday evening (reported below).
The new measures now mean that most non-essential workers in Spain must also remain at home from Monday 30 March until Thursday 9 April inclusive, thereby also including the Easter weekend. The definition of what work qualifies as essential or not, however – together with the time that the details were published late on Sunday night – looked set to create problems on Monday morning in Spain.
The Spanish government initially declared a lockdown for two weeks commencing from 14 March, with measures that confined everyone to their homes apart from leaving to purchase food or medication, or to go to their place of work only if they could not perform their duties from home. These measures were then extended by the Spanish Congress until 12 April.
Until after Easter, people in Spain – to now include most ‘non-essential’ workers – are only permitted to leave their homes to purchase food or medicine, to buy petrol or for other special circumstances, or to walk their dogs.
These new measures restrict the movement of all workers with the exception of those employed in the sectors of food, medicine, healthcare, veterinarians, opticians, the media, fuel and energy, tobacconists, IT and telecoms services, among others. There are a total of 25 categories of businesses (other than healthcare and emergency services) that can remain open. Banks also remain open, where appointments are required. Motor mechanics remain in operation for freight and emergency vehicles.
Spanish government spokeswoman María Jesús Montero confirmed after Sunday’s cabinet meeting that all non-essential workers would be in lockdown from tomorrow for a two-week period in order to ‘gain time’ and relieve the burden on Spain’s health system. Montero said it was now essential to reduce the mobility of citizens between Monday to Friday in order to beat the pandemic.
Spanish Labour Minister Yolanda Díaz also spoke on Sunday after the cabinet meeting, saying that companies will have to pay workers’ salaries in full for the next two weeks, and that employees will then have until 31 December to recover working the hours that they have missed on a gradual basis.
‘We are talking about a period of eight working days,’ said Díaz, as Thursday 9 and Friday 10 April are both holidays in most regions of Spain due to Easter.
Other than the categories of work listed below, all workers must adhere to the new measures and stay at home from Tuesday 31 March until 9 April inclusive. Today, during Monday, there was a one-day moratorium on the new restrictions in order for all activities to adapt ‘progressively’:
1. Shops selling food and drinks; medical, optical and orthopedic products (including chemists and all medical centres); hygiene products; hairdressers (only if they work at the client’s home); newspapers, magazines and stationery; petrol stations, tobacconists, technological, telecoms and IT equipment, pet food; business by internet, telephone or correspondence; dry cleaners and laundries.
2. Those taking part in any step of the supply chain of basic products, including food, drinks, animal food, hygiene products, medicines, healthcare products, health technology, protection equipment and hospital material
3. Restaurants and hotel businesses, but only for food delivery
4. Supply of electricity, products derived from oil and natural gas
5. Essential infrastructures and companies and suppliers of basic services
6. Judges, prosecutors, judicial civil servants, or those who have to continue judicial cases not suspended
7. Services of basic public administrations to ensure public services work, including road works, services, supplies and security and maintenance of public buildings
8. Passenger and cargo transport and those activities linked to guaranteeing this transport for journeys only allowed under the state of alarm
9. Law enforcement, prisons, maritime rescue, civil protection services, firefighting services, security of mines, road traffic and traffic safety
10. Armed forces
11. Private security
12. Health centres, services and shops, those dedicated to elderly people, minors, dependent people and disabled people’s care
13. People in research centres of projects related to combating Coronavirus (Covid-19)
14. Funeral services
15. Vets, animal health centres, services and shops
16. News kiosks and newsagents,
17. Public and private media outlets, including printing and distribution of the press
18. Financial, banking services and insurance
19. Telecoms and audiovisual companies, and IT basic services, including those needed for the development of public services
20. Essential services of protection and care of gender violence victims
21. Lawyers, barristers, translators, interpretors and psychologists taking part in non-suspended judicial cases
22. Legal advisors, administrative consultancies, and those specialising in the prevention of occupational hazards in urgent matters
23. Workers of notaries and registers for the established basic services
24. Cleaning, maintenance services, urgent reparations and surveillance
25. Handling and picking of dangerous waste, urban waste, treatment of waste water, decontamination and removal of dead animals
26. Welcoming refugees and migrant centres
27. Supply of drinking water
28. Meteorological services
29. Postal service of the Spanish public operator
30. Import and supply of health material, including logistics companies, transport, storage, customs officers, and health corridors in general
Below are the numbers to call for each region of Spain for information and assistance in the event of possible cases of Coronavirus – as issued by the Spanish health authorities.
Up-to-date WHO advice and facts (in English) about the Coronavirus epidemic can be found here: www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/technical-guidance.
Our previous reports on Coronavirus in Spain:
ALSO READ: Coronavirus in Spain full update (29 March)
ALSO READ: Coronavirus in Spain full update (28 March)
ALSO READ: Coronavirus in Spain full update (27 March)
ALSO READ: Coronavirus in Spain full update (26 March)
ALSO READ: Animal rights NGO starts petition against possible state aid for cancelled bullfights
ALSO READ: Spain publishes list of hotels that will remain open
ALSO READ: Coronavirus in Spain full update (25 March)
ALSO READ: Coronavirus in Spain full update (24 March)
ALSO READ: Video of boy training as goalkeeper in isolation goes viral
ALSO READ: The new restrictions at Spain’s airports, ports and land borders
ALSO READ: Coronavirus in Spain full update (23 March)
ALSO READ: Madrid starts receiving patients at IFEMA exhibition centre ‘hospital’
ALSO READ: Confirmed: lockdown extended until at least 11 April
ALSO READ: Coronavirus in Spain full update (22 March)
ALSO READ: Walking a goat or a Vietnamese pig is not allowed
ALSO READ: Coronavirus in Spain – full advice for British travellers seeking to return to the UK
ALSO READ: Coronavirus in Spain full update (21 March)
ALSO READ: Coronavirus in Spain full update (20 March)
ALSO READ: ‘This virus we will stop together’ – video
ALSO READ: Coronavirus in Spain full update (19 March)
ALSO READ: Despite lockdown, Spaniards applaud health workers from balconies every evening
Editor’s note:
At Spain in English we’re always keen to also publish positive stories and features about life in Spain – not just the current news. With all cultural and sporting events currently on hold, as well as travel and gastronomic excursions, we welcome on-going contributions from all of you who’d like to send us articles for publication. Although we are unable to currently pay for contributions, we will certainly credit you and share the articles across our social media network (if of interest) – and/or also link to your own blogs or other sites. We currently welcome upbeat, positive and fun articles – perhaps how you’re coping with the ‘lockdown’ in your own area of Spain – or how your community is responding, or recommendations of help to others. We have a dedicated ‘Opinion, Blogs & Spanish Experiences‘ section where your articles will appear. We will edit for clarity and length only – and we reserve the right to not publish. Articles should be sent via email to editorial@spainenglish.com (preferably with a photo and credit details), and should be around 500 words (800 to 1,000 max). We will try to respond to everyone, but please be patient with us. We’re a very small team but with big ambitions! Please stay safe. Thank you for reading and following us.