Four Spanish towns quarantined to tackle coronavirus epidemic

Record ID: 1463901

  • Title: Four Spanish towns quarantined to tackle coronavirus epidemic
  • Date: 13th March 2020
  • Summary: IGUALADA, BARCELONA, SPAIN (MARCH 13, 2020) (REUTERS) QUEUE OF CARS ON THE ROAD POLICE PATROLS ON ROAD CONTROL VARIOUS OF QUEUE OF CARS ON THE ROAD POLICE OFFICER TALKING TO DRIVER CARS AND POLICE TALKING TO DRIVERS POLICE OFFICER STOPPING CARS VARIOUS OF POLICE OFFICER DURING ROAD CONTROL VARIOUS OF PEOPLE INSIDE THEIR CARS TRUCK DRIVER WEARING MASK TALKING TO POLICE OFFICER (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) JOSE MARIA, TAXI DRIVER, SAYING: "Because here you go in but you don't go out, of course, you can go out, now a colleague has shown me on his cell phone the people who can go out and who can't, the workers do, but if not, you can't go out." (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) CRISTIAN, 26, IGUALADA RESIDENT, SAYING: "Well, we were at home and at approximately ten o'clock (at night) we found out about all this that they were going to close Igualada for two weeks and it didn't give me extra time, I was going to take my girlfriend, who is not from Igualada and, when I have come to the control, they have told me that if I go out to take her then I will not be able to enter, then they have told me that if I want I can wait here and that someone comes to look for her, and that's it." (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) JORDI, 22, IGUALADA RESIDENT, SAYING: "I mean, I found out late and I had to come running because I was in Manresa (another city) this afternoon and now I'm waiting to see what happens. At work, I work here in Igualada, they say that tomorrow everything will be normal in principle and let's see what happens tomorrow, for the moment I am waiting to see if I enter Igualada today, let's see." POLICE PLACING TRAFFIC TRIANGLES ON THE ROAD TRAFFIC TRIANGLE ON THE ROAD / POLICE AND CARS POLICE OFFICER STANDING IN FRONT OF CARS ROAD CONTROL IN PROCESS DRIVER GIVING HIS ID TO POLICE ROAD CONTROL IN PROCESS
  • Embargoed: 27th March 2020 02:42
  • Keywords: Spain coronavirus covid-19 health quarantine self-isolation
  • Location: IGUALADA, SPAIN
  • City: IGUALADA, SPAIN
  • Country: Spain
  • Topics: Health/Medicine
  • Reuters ID: LVA001C4VX6X3
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Spain placed four towns under quarantine on Thursday (March 12) and announced measures to tackle the economic impact of the coronavirus epidemic, which the country's hoteliers described as a "tsunami" threatening the survival of their businesses.
    Catalan authorities began locking down four towns around the village of Igualada - 49 km (30 miles) north of Barcelona - after a significant outbreak in the area, top regional police official Eduard Sallent told reporters.
    Access to Igualada, Vilanova del Cami, Santa Margarida de Montbui and Odena will be blocked from 2300 GMT, the first such restriction imposed in Spain since the outbreak began.
    A Catalan government spokesman said around 70,000 people would be affected by the quarantine.
    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.
    (Production: Luis Felipe Castilleja, Ramon Pastor)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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