Spain’s Queen Letizia is tested for coronavirus

All schools and universities in Spain will close from Monday over fears of the spread of coronavirus as the country saw a 28 per cent rise in cases, it emerged today.

The moved comes as Queen Letizia of Spain was tested for coronavirus after a government minister she met recently was diagnosed with the disease.

Educational centres in some areas like Catalonia and Galicia will shut tomorrow and the rest will shut on Monday. Schools in Madrid and La Rioja closed earlier this week.

The closures are due to last for a fortnight, although regional government chiefs have already warned they could be extended.

Reports in Portugal say schools there will also close from Monday until the end of the month.  

Spain placed four towns under quarantine today and announced measures to tackle the economic impact of the epidemic, which the country’s hoteliers described as a ‘tsunami’ threatening the survival of their businesses.

From 8pm four towns around the village of Igualada – 49 km north of Barcelona – were placed on indefinite lockdown after a significant outbreak in the area, top regional police official Eduard Sallent told reporters.

It is the first such restriction imposed in Spain since the outbreak began.

Earlier today it was revealed that former journalist, Queen Letizia, shook hands with equality minister Irene Montero as she arrived at an event they both attended last Friday in Madrid.

And the pair were pictured giving each other the traditional Spanish kiss on the cheek as Letizia left the meeting with an association caring for prostitutes.

Confirmation the royal had been tested along with Spanish King Felipe VI came after it was announced Mrs Montero had become the first Spanish government minister to go down with coronavirus.

She and her partner Pedro Iglesias, one of Spain’s deputy PMs, have both been quarantined.

A Spanish Royal Family spokesman confirmed the tests on the monarchs were taking place because of Queen Letizia’s ‘recent public activity’ and government advice. The results are expected to be made public tomorrow.

Catalonia’s regional government ordered Spain’s first lockdown since the start of the crisis in four municipalities.

The Italian-style lockdown, preventing people from entering or leaving the four areas, began to operate at 9pm on Thursday night, although people were told they would be allowed past a police checkpoint until midnight if needed.

The affected areas – Igualada, Vilanova del Cami, Santa Margarida de Montbui and Odena – are all in the province of Barcelona. The lockdown is expected to affect up to 76,000 people.

People who do not live in the four municipalities or need to return to their homes there from elsewhere have been given an extra three hours to enter or leave the four areas but will need to pass a police checkpoint.

The emergency measure was brought in after an outbreak which badly affected Igualada Hospital and has caused three deaths and left 49 people including 33 health workers infected.

Spain, which initially did little in response to the outbreak, changed tack this week after infections soared. It ordered a ban on flights from Italy and warned against domestic and foreign travel.

Schools and universities will be closed across the country for at least two weeks, while the prison service cut back visiting rights across its facilities.

On the economic front, funds will be directed to central and regional health authorities, prices of drugs and medical equipment will be capped, and the tourism sector will also receive financial support. 

There was little fresh money, however, in the 18 billion euros package announced by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, with some already earmarked payments simply brought forward.

The bulk of the package goes towards allowing small businesses to make split or delayed tax payments over the next six months.

King Felipe VI has cancelled a meeting he was due to hold today with Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejcinovic.

Sanchez told a news conference: ‘These are difficult moments but we will overcome then. We will overcome this with unity and responsibility from all.’

On Sunday Queen Letizia came into close contact with the basketball players in the final of the Spanish Queen Cup. She handed the winning team the trophy at Sanchez Paraiso stadium. 

She also sat in the crowd to watch as Perfumerias Avenida played against Spar CityLift Girona.  

On Wednesday the Spanish royals had lunch with French president Emmanuelle Macron and his wife at the Elysee Palace.

The number of people to die with coronavirus in Spain has now reached 86.

At 1pm today the number of coronavirus cases stood at 2968, 816 more than yesterday. Nearly 1,400 are in Madrid, where schools were ordered to shut yesterday for two weeks.

Real Madrid’s footballers were also put in quarantine today after it emerged a Real Madrid basketball player had tested positive for coronavirus.   

Spain’s government underwent coronavirus testing after the number of cases soared to 2,968.

It is up from 2,140 on Wednesday evening, with deaths leaping from 48 to 84 within the same time frame.

‘This morning, all members of the government will undergo testing,’ a statement said, indicating the results would be published later in the day.

‘The minister (Irene Montero) is in a good condition and second deputy prime minister Pablo Iglesias is also in quarantine due to the situation.’

Mrs Montero tested positive on Wednesday evening, three days after appearing at a mass march of some 120,000 people through Madrid for International Women’s Day.

A special cabinet meeting to discuss an emergency plan of action to respond to the crisis went ahead at midday as planned, with PM Sanchez and 14 other ministers, it said.

However, all of Sanchez’s upcoming appointments would be conducted by video conference.

Spain has seen the number of infections spiral since the start of the week, becoming one of the worst-hit countries in Europe. Madrid has borne the brunt of the crisis with 1,388 infections and 38 deaths.

The International Women’s Day demonstration on Sunday evening took place just hours before health authorities detected a huge spike in infections. 

Meanwhile occupancy rates at Spanish hotels have fallen dramatically, with some hotels left empty, and there are ‘no new bookings’, according to a top official at Spain’s hotels and tourist accommodations federation CEHAT revealed.

‘A tsunami has arrived. A meteorite has fallen on us and we have to see how we survive,’ CEHAT Secretary General Ramon Estalella said, urging the Spanish government to take measures to avoid bankruptcies and layoffs at hotel companies.  

The lower house of parliament, already shut, will extend its closure, Cadena Ser radio said. Health Minister Salvador Illa cancelled plans to speak in parliament about the coronavirus in what would have been an exception to the suspension.

Sanchez will head a reduced cabinet meeting on Thursday only attended by the ministers whose presence is needed to approve new measures to stop coronavirus spreading. 

The cabinet is set to approve a package of measures to mitigate the economic impact of the outbreak. 

In Madrid, the impact of the virus and measures taken to combat it have already had an impact, with metro stations and bars unusually quiet.

‘Business has gone down a lot, really a lot,’ said José Manuel González, the 58-year old manager of the Santa Barbara cafe. 

‘It’s very quiet at lunchtime, things have dropped by 40- 50 per cent since the school shutdown. That’s when things started to change.’

Madrid health authorities asked people to donate blood, after a drop in blood donations over the past days. 

Doctors in the capital have said over the past days that they were worried they could run out of beds in intensive care units.