"It's the perfect measure" - Barcelona resident on state of emergency over coronavirus

Record ID: 1463786

  • Title: "It's the perfect measure" - Barcelona resident on state of emergency over coronavirus
  • Date: 13th March 2020
  • Summary: BARCELONA, SPAIN (MARCH 13, 2020) (REUTERS) HOLY FAMILY'S BIRTH FACADE EMPTY STAIRS OF HOLY FAMILY TOURISTS LOOKING AT HOLY FAMILY / WOMAN WEARING MASK / BANNER READING "BASILICA CLOSED" BANNER READING "BASILICA CLOSED" (SOUNDBITE) (French) AURELIE, FRENCH TOURIST, SAYING: "We came here to visit the Sagrada Familia, we are very disappointed because we didn't expect it to be closed. But we still think that it is a good decision that public spaces are closed because it is true that the coronavirus is spreading fast and decisions must be taken to stop this." TOURISTS LOOKING AT HOLY FAMILY CHURCH TOURIST TAKING PICTURE OF HOLY FAMILY CHURCH (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ESTEVE CAMPS, DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF HOLY FAMILY BOARD, SAYING: "The average of visitors this season is ten thousand people a day, this means that the spread of the possible focus of the virus can be very important. To stop this situation, not only visits have been stopped, but the different companies here took the decision of stopping construction (of the church), here there are a total of nine hundred people working, it is a very important number to eradicate the possible spread of the infection." WOMAN WEARING MASK AND TAKING PICTURES OF HOLY FAMILY TOURISTS WEARING MASKS LOOKING AT HOLY FAMILY HOLY FAMILY'S PASSION FACADE AND DOORS CLOSED TOURISTS WEARING MASKS MAN WEARING MASK AND TAKING PICTURES WITH HIS CELL PHONE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) GONZALO, 27, ARGENTINIAN, SAYING: "They cancelled all the flights that leave Europe to Argentina so we are finding out what we are going to do, if we can get there, if we are going to have to stay here, there is a lot of caution and very little information yet, we are facing the inexperience of this that is happening and little information, so let's see." TOURISTIC BUS VARIOUS OF TRIUMPH ARC WOMEN TAKING PICTURES WITH THEIR CELL PHONES A COUPLE KISSING AND HUGGING EACH OTHER PEOPLE WALKING BY LUIS COMPANYS BOULEVARD ONE MAN RIDING BICYCLE AND OTHER MAN WALKING VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING BY LA RAMBLA PEOPLE SEATED ON LA RAMBLA CATALUNYA SQUARE PEOPLE WALKING ON CATALUNYA SQUARE MAN WEARING MASK / CHILD CHASING PIGEONS CATALUNYA SQUARE VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING ON CATALUNYA SQUARE CLOSED SCHOOL BANNER ON WALL READING: "BARRUFET SCHOOL" SCHOOL GATE CLOSED AND BANNER READING: "WE OPEN THE PATIO" SLIDE ON SCHOOL PATIO SEEN THROUGH THE CLOSED GATE CLOSED SCHOOL BANNER ON WALL READING: "DURAN AND BAS SCHOOL" SCHOOL PATIO SEEN THROUGH CLOSED GATE BANNER ON GATE READING: " THE OPEN DOOR SESSION OF TODAY MARCH 12 IS POSTPONED AS A PREVENTION MEASURE DUE TO THE ALERT SITUATION IN WHICH WE FIND OURSELVES" (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) NATALIA JOBAT, 41, BARTENDER, SAYING: "It does affect me financially, of course, because if I can't go to work nobody returns my money, I have no children or anything, but I still have to survive. But it is okay for classes to stop and everything and also make people aware and do everything as it should be, because it is a disease." NATALIA JOBAT CLEANING HER HANDS WITH SANITIZER (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MARTA, 48, SUPERMARKET MANAGER, SAYING: "It affects me personally, but it is also true that, watching the news a little, I already had an idea that this was going to happen and that it was going to be a general alarm and that everything was going to be closed, so well, I work in a shopping center and I'm not going to go to work anymore (due to restrictions), but I have had a bit of prevention and foresight regarding food, medication and let's see. A good measure is to close it all for fifteen days, it seems to me a perfect measure, if not, how are we going to cope with this?" VARIOUS OF EMPTY PLAYGROUND
  • Embargoed: 27th March 2020 18:42
  • Keywords: Barcelona Catalonia Spain coronavirus outbreak closed schools state of emergency
  • Location: BARCELONA, SPAIN
  • City: BARCELONA, SPAIN
  • Country: Spain
  • Topics: Health/Medicine
  • Reuters ID: LVA001C4VYF5Z
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Barcelona was unusually empty on Friday (March 13) as the coronavirus outbreak forced shops and monuments to close to the public in the Catalan capital.
    Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Friday it would declare a 15-day state of emergency from Saturday, signaling a sharp escalation in its fight against the coronavirus, as some regions shut shops and church authorities canceled at least two Easter parades.
    Earlier on Friday, Catalonia, Spain's second-richest region, ordered the closure of gyms, nightclubs and shopping centers, apart from ones selling food.
    Tourists and local residents said they felt this was the "perfect measure" to try and contain the fast spreading virus.
    The landmark Sagrada Familia basilica stopped receiving visitors and suspend its construction work as a precautionary measure due to the coronavirus outbreak.
    Spain has the second-highest number of coronavirus cases in Europe after Italy. The current Spanish tally stands at 4,209, up by about 1,000 cases from Thursday and seven times as much as on Sunday. About 120 people have died.
    (Production: Ramon Pastor, Luis Felipe Castilleja, Miguel Gutierrez, May Ponzo)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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