Europe extends social distancing duration
Spain, Italy see slowing in deaths, new infections as tough measures remain
MADRID — As European nations see the benefits of social distancing, many have decided to extend the duration of such measures as the continent continues to see an increase in the number of COVID-19 infections.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Saturday he would ask parliament to extend lockdown measures until April 26, as Spain has the most number of confirmed cases in Europe.
In a televised address, Sanchez said the current lockdown was beginning to show results, but he warned that Saturday’s extension of the country’s state of emergency would not be the last.
Although the rate of new coronavirus infections and deaths slowed again, Spain’s confirmed coronavirus case tally reached 130,759 on Saturday, surpassing Italy’s 124,632, according to the latest figures.
The tally placed Spain first in Europe and second only to the United States worldwide in terms of confirmed cases.
In Italy, the virus-ravaged Lombardy region now requires residents to wear a protective mask when they go outside in a bid to further trim infections.
The ordinance from Lombardy Governor Attilio Fontana goes into effect on Sunday and lasts through April 13. It mirrors similar ordinances in recent days from two other hard-hit regions Veneto and Alto Adige, which require protective masks for residents particularly if shopping in stores and markets.
Lombardy has passed particularly tight restrictions on movement and business operations in an effort to curb infections in the epicenter of Europe’s outbreak. The new ordinance extends those tight restrictions to mid-April but makes a new exception to the shutdown for stationery stores to reopen to let students buy school supplies.
Field hospital opened
In Britain, London’s new emergency field hospital opened its doors on Friday as the novel coronavirus crisis continues to escalate in the country.
The Nightingale Hospital is able to hold as many as 4,000 patients and is the first of several such facilities planned across the country.
A further two hospitals will be built in Bristol and Harrogate, along with others in Manchester and Birmingham, to provide hundreds of extra beds, the National Health Service announced.
Meanwhile, Minister for the
Cabinet Office Michael Gove said hundreds of new ventilators are being manufactured daily in Britain and 300 arrived from China on Saturday.
Gove also said the increasing death toll from COVID-19 shows “more than ever” that Britons must stick to the government’s lockdown measures.
NHS England Medical Director Stephen Powis said it would take a week or two before Britain’s social distancing measures started to translate into lower hospitalization rates, but there was a bit of a plateauing in London in recent days.
According to the official data, the total number of infections increased to 41,903 on Saturday. The death toll stands at 4,313.
Meanwhile, when asked about the so called “theory” that 5G telecommunications masts could play a role in the spread of the disease, Gove said the it is “just nonsense, dangerous nonsense as well”.
“The 5G story is the worst kind of fake news,” Powis said. “The reality is that the mobile phone networks are absolutely critical to all of us.”
Mobile phone masts have in recent days been vandalized and telecoms staff abused in Birmingham in central England and Merseyside in northern England.
Separately, the European Union announced on Friday plans to temporarily waive customs duties and value-added tax on the import of medical devices and protective equipment from non-EU countries to help the fight against coronavirus.
The measure will be effective until July 31, with a possibility for further extension.
The 5G story is the worst kind of fake news. The reality is that the mobile phone networks are absolutely critical to all of us.” Stephen Powis, director of NHS England Medical