Coronavirus: Countries around world impose more restrictions
THE WORLDWIDE DEATH TOLL ROSE TO 6,036, WITH 159,844 INFECTIONS AFTER 105 DIED IN SPAIN
BARCELONA: Authorities around the world turned to increasingly drastic measures to try to slow the spread of the new Coronavirus on Sunday, with lockdowns, curfews and travel restrictions spreading.
Soldiers and police sealed the densely populated Philippine capital from most domestic travellers in one of Southeast Asia's most drastic containment moves. The move mirrored a lockdown Spain announced just hours earlier for its 46 million citizens.
In China, where the virus was first detected in December, those arriving on overseas flights were routed to a converted exhibition centre for initial checks before being shuttled off to their homes or other quarantine locations.
It was clear, however, the way the centre of gravity in the crisis has shifted westward toward Europe and North America.
The worldwide death toll rose to 6,036, with 159,844 infections after 105 died in Spain. While China remains the country with the most deaths with 3,199, the pandemic is now spreading more rapidly in Europe, with 1,907 deaths in the continent's worsthit country Italy.
In a nationally televised address on Saturday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez detailed the battery of exceptional measures put in place as part of a two-week state of emergency to fight the sharp rise in infections.
Later Saturday, Spain's government said Sanchez's wife has tested positive for Coronavirus. Begona Gomez and the prime minister are in good health, the government said.
Two ministers of Sanchez's Cabinet, the minister of equality and the minister of regional affairs, had already tested positive earlier this week. The others member of the Cabinet have tested negative.
In a lockdown similar to the one already imposed in Italy, people will be allowed to leave their homes only to buy food and medicine, commute to work, go to hospitals and banks, or take trips related to the care of the young and the elderly. All schools and universities were closed, along with restaurants, bars, hotels and other non-essential retail businesses.
Spanish authorities said the number of infections climbed past 5,700, half of them in the capital, Madrid. That represents a national increase of over 1,500 in 24 hours. The country had 136 deaths, up from 120. Spain has the fifth-highest number of cases, behind China, Italy, Iran and South Korea.
For most people, the Coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover in a matter of weeks.
In the Philippines, new restrictions for metropolitan Manila - home to more than 12 million people - that went into effect Sunday mean the suspension of domestic travel by land, air and sea to and from the capital region.