Alwaght- The Spanish government plans to impose partial lockdown on the country as part of a 15-day state of emergency to combat the coronavirus epidemic.
Spain is Europe’s second worst-affected country by the disease after Italy, with more than 6,200 cases and 193 deaths.
Effective immediately, all Spaniards must stay home except to buy food, medicines, go to work or to the hospital or for emergencies, Reuters reported.
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, theaters, swimming pools or 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 Sanchez’s wife, Begona Gomez, had tested positive for coronavirus.
Schools are shut across Spain and a first package of economic steps was announced on Thursday.
