Spain’s streets have turned eerily empty since the government declared the state of emergency and imposed a nationwide lockdown for two weeks – aiming to stop the spread of the coronavirus in the country.
However, the Spanish minister for transport, José Luis Ábalos, warned on Monday (16 March) that the lockdown will “last more than 15 days” since this period would not alone be enough for the country to “win the battle” against the coronavirus.
As of Monday, 7,988 cases of Covid-19 and 294 deaths were registered in Spain, the second-most affected country in Europe after Italy – overtaking the larger nations of France and Germany.
Following the measures taken by Italy – the most affected country in Europe – Spain declared a state of emergency on Saturday which places tight restrictions on movement with exceptions for primary needs or professional requirements.