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Coronavirus lockdown: First four towns quarantined in Spain

Four towns in Spain's northeastern Catalonia region were put under quarantine on Thursday, the civil protection agency said, in a first in the country.

Published: 12 March 2020 22:53 CET
Coronavirus lockdown: First four towns quarantined in Spain
File photo of Catalan police team. Photo: AFP

The 66,000 inhabitants of the localities of Igualada, Odena, Santa Margarida de Montbui and Vilanova del Cami “cannot leave their urban core” although they can leave their homes, a statement said, citing instructions from Catalonia's governor.  

? Trabajamos en el confinamiento en Igualada, Santa Margarida de Montbui, Òdena y Vilanova del Camí a partir de las 21h:
?Quien pueda acreditar q no vive en el municipio podrá salir tras ser identificado
?Quien quiera entrar en la ciudad lo podrá hacer xa quedarse#Coronavirus

— Mossos (@mossos) March 12, 2020

In a tweet from the Catalan police force above, they said those who can prove they are not residents in the municipalities will be allowed to leave before but those who want to enter will be forced to stay. 

Catalonia's health minister Alba Verges tod reporters that the authorities would be focussing on Igualada, a town of 40,000 inhabitants which is only 70 kilometres ( (40 miles) from the regional capital Barcelona, as the number of cases was growing rapidly.   

There are currently 58 cases in the town, 38 more than on Wednesday, he said.

Spain has seen the number of infections spiral since the start of the week, becoming one of the worst-hit countries in Europe.   

Madrid has borne the brunt of the crisis, clocking up 1,388 infections and 38 deaths by Thursday morning.

Late on Thursday, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez gave a televised press conference without any
journalists present, answering questions posed via WhatsApp.

“To beat the virus as quickly as possible, responsibility and social discipline is essential. This requires big changes in our habits,” said Sanchez who will conduct all future meetings by video conference.

Sanchez said the government had agreed on a raft of economic measures including a tax moratorium for affected companies as well as funding for the worst-hit sectors, such as tourism — which accounts for 12 percent of Spain's GDP.

In total, some 4.2 billion euros ($4.7 billion) would be unblocked, including nearly 3.0 billion for the regional health authorities, he said, with the tax deferrals and delayed payments amounting to some 14 billion euros.

His remarks came after yet another dire session for Spain's benchmark Ibex-35 which plunged more than 14 percent at the close, the worst drop on record .

Also Thursday, La Liga said Spain's top two divisions would be suspended for at least two weeks after Real Madrid confirmed its senior football team was in quarantine after one of the club's basketball players tested positive for the virus.   

The club's football and basketball players share facilities at Ciudad Real Madrid, its training ground in Valdebebas.

The culture ministry also announced the nationwide closure of all state-run museums.   

Also Thursday, seven other Spanish regions announced school closures, among them the northern regions of Catalonia, Aragon, Navarre, the Basque Country and Galicia, as well as Murcia in the south east and the Canary Islands.   

Such measures are already in place in the Madrid region and La Rioja.

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HEALTH

Are Danes cutting back on cigarettes and alcohol?

Danish stores sold a significantly lower quantity of alcohol and cigarettes over the counter last year, new data from Statistics Denmark show.

Published: 14 June 2024 07:42 CEST
Are Danes cutting back on cigarettes and alcohol?

Some 3,852 cigarettes were sold year, which amounts to 804 per person over the age of 18. But that compares to a figures of 854 per person on 2022.

Cigarette sales in Denmark have been declining since 2018.

Sales of sprits, beer and wine fell by 7.8 percent, 5.3 percent and 0.9 percent respectively.

Danish business sold the equivalent of 44.4 million litres of pure alcohol, which works out at 11.9 units per week on average for each person over the age of 18.

Although that is a lower value than in 2022, it still exceeds the amount recommended by the Danish Health Authority (Sundhedsstyrelsen).

The Health Authority recommends that adults over 18 drink no more than 10 units per week and no more than four in a single day.

READ ALSO: Should Denmark raise the minimum age for buying alcohol?

“The numbers are still too high and it’s an average that could have a skewed distribution,” University of Southern Denmark professor, Janne Tholstrup, said in relation to the alcohol sales figures. Tholstrup has published research on Denmark’s alcohol culture.

That is in spite of a 30-year-trend of falling alcohol consumption, according to the professor.

“The majority of Danes stay under the recommended 10 unite per week. That means there is a large group with a persistently excessive consumption of alcohol,” she said.

The Statistics Denmark figures also show that sales of loose tobacco – such as the type used in roll-up cigarettes and pipes – also fell last year. Some 58 tonnes less were sold compared to 2022.

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