MADRID — The coronavirus has claimed at least 15,843 lives in Spain and has officially infected 152,446 people, although both the rate of contagion and mortality are dropping, official health ministry data shows Friday.
The 605 new deaths recorded overnight were the lowest increase since March 24. There were 4,576 more recorded infections than a day earlier, bringing down the daily rate of contagion to 3%.
The Spanish government is meeting Friday to establish a 20 billion-euro ($21.9 billion) fund to help small businesses and the self-employed cope with the economic fallout of the outbreak, but it’s also discussing what comes next for 47 million Spaniards who have been quarantined for four weeks.
After a two-week freeze of all nonessential economic activity, factories and construction sites are set to resume work on Monday. Schools, most shops and offices will remain closed, with people encouraged to work from home.
Experts have warned that the return of certain activity will increase contagion and that health authorities need to scrutinize any new cases.
A three-week survey of 30,000 households should help understand how many people are or have been infected and guide future “de-escalation” of the confinement measures, the government has said.
The state of emergency has been extended to April 26 for now, although Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has said that he will most likely be asking parliament for further extensions.
A reduction in death rate is a good thing, but there should be no celebration until the contagion is eliminated.
So much unnecessary death. This did NOT have to happen. It could have been stopped. Unfortunately, we have an anti-science DOLT for pResident who thinks he knows more than the scientists. He’s the jackass that gutted our public health infrastructure and shredded our first responders (who smashed Ebola). He’s the mofo that learned from military and intelligence sources of the coming pandemic AND DID NOTHING. NOTHING!!! For multiple months, he did NOTHING.
As I write this, over 97,000 have died due to this damn virus, and BLOTUS IMPOTUS is to blame for his depraved indifference, because he could have stopped this if he had just kept the system we had intact. But no. That was not possible. Because Obama set up that system, and if there’s one thing and one thing only the vindictive “fucking moron” wants to do, it’s undo everything that has Obama’s name on it.
Trump the Executioner.
My wife and I have been stranded in the Spanish Canary Islands since March 31. We were wintering in here and planned to return home along with our small dog on March 31. On March 20 I looked on our airline web site and discovered that our return flights to the USA had been canceled. I have never officially been notified of this cancelation.
The lockdown that was put in place prevented us from getting the required paperwork from the veterinarian we had worked with that would allow us to reschedule another flight. We have now been in lockdown for almost 4 weeks. We contacted the American embassy and the US Consulate in the Canary Islands three weeks ago seeking some guidance. We received an email form letter from each saying that they were very busy. We have not heard a single word from either since other than the form letter that says we are on our own to find our own way home.
Such is life in Spain for an American in the time oof Trump.