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article_detail
Date Published: 13/03/2020
ARCHIVED - Murcian government decrees enforced quarantine of Águilas, San Pedro, san Javier, Los Alcázares, Cartagena, La Unión and Mazarrón
Lockdown of the Costa Cálida
The regional government of Murcia has issued a confinement decree closing the municipalities of Águilas, San Pedro, San Javier, Los Alcázares, Cartagena, La Unión and Mazarrón in order to avoid contagion by coronavirus.
The order has been issued following the arrival in coastal regions of a large number of families from Madrid following the decision taken yesterday to close schools across Spain.
The order is currently being prepared by technicians and will be published later today, taking effect immediately.
The regional president maintains that the arrivals from the cities increase the risk of contagion for residents of the Murcia Region as well as increasing the probability of putting the regional health service under unacceptable strain, this morning those fears were borne out almost immediately when a man who had arrived from Madrid by train last night and went to his holiday apartment in la Manga was admitted to hospital suffering from the virus.
The president insists that these new arrivals "are not here on holiday" but are trying to get away from the contagious environment of Madrid and "put us all in danger". "if you do not have th leave the house to attend to a basic necessity then stay at home, "he said, "this is not a holiday."
The decree wil last for 14 days and limits the entry and exit of residents of this area, preventing not only the residents themselves from undertaking anything other than their normal daily business, but also prevents residents of the cities, including the city of Murcia, from going to the coast and spreading the virus.
Residents will be allowed to leave their homes to obtain food and medication and go to work, but are asked to remain in lockdown and not leave their homes unnecessarily. All businesses will be closed except supermarkets and pharmacies.
"There will be no freedom of movement, "said the regional president.
Police will be blockading the roads to enforce the measure and the regional government has requested the collaboration of the armed forces and Guardia Civil to impose the restrictions.
The confinement will affect anyone already inside the containment areas and is “for everybody, because of the irresponsible behaviour of some people” the regional president said to the media, “I am going to do what I have to do to protect my people, the million and a half Murcianos who live here.”
Bars, restaurants, discoteques and all leisure establishments will be closed down to support the containment measure, as well as the coastal tourist offices. Some of these have already closed due to the risk to staff and have only been handling telephone enquiries.
The regional health authority has also reiterated calls for the population to observe the quarantine and face it with a sense of responsibility, particularly in relation to the closure of schools, the biggest fear being that children will be left with grandparents, who are in turn the largest at risk group. "The suspension of classes is not an excuse for a holiday" they said, sentiments echoed by the regional president of Murcia, who was visibly angered by the situation in which the region has been placed by the arrival of people from other cities within Spain, which have the highest rates of contagion within the peninsula.
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Last night the regional health minister, Manuel Villegas, met with the Mayors of the coastal municipalities now affected by the lockdown to confer over the situation, stressing that the Region of Murcia does not have the facilities to cope with a mass outbreak of coronavirus which could conceivably break out here given the arrival of thousands of potentially infected individuals. “the situation we are facing is that in ten days we could be in the same position in which Madrid currently finds itself, “he said, “we could lose control of the situation.”
Police have been out in force this morning in coastal areas reminding the Madrilenean visitors to observe a 14 day quarantine period, and will be reinforced over the next few days as they attempt to exclude anyone from entering the quarantine area on the coast.
The Spanish health ministry issued the latest official figures relating to the number of cases of coronavirus across Spain at 1300, which have risen by more than 1,000 in the last 24 hours, to total 4.209 cases, with 120 deaths.
189 people have recovered from the virus to date, but many thousands more will be contagious, so the number of cases is expected to rise significantly within the next week.
Andalucía 219
Aragón 80
Asturias 67
Baleares 30
Canarias 70
Cantabria 29
Castilla La Mancha 194
Castilla y León 169
Cataluña 316
C.Valenciana 94
Extremadura 39
Galicia 85
Madrid 1.990
Melilla 2
Murcia 35
Navarra 130
País Vasco 417
La Rioja 243
The latest figures issued by the Madrid health service, the region of Spain with the highest number of cases, is 2078, with 64 deaths, so the figures issued at 13:00 are already out of date.
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What to do if you are in the Region of Murcia and believe you may have contracted the virus
The regional government has set up a special helpline to supply information to members of the public (900 121212), and also urges people to call the 112 emergency services line if they suspect that they may have contracted the virus rather than going straight to hospital or to a medical centre. Medical staff will be sent to your home to test for the virus.
The Region’s public hospitals have limited the number of visitors to just one per patient.
Sensible precautions
The advice being issued to members of the public by medical authorities all over the world coincides on the following points:
- Wash hands frequently with either soap and water or a sanitiser gel
- Catch coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues – and throw the tissues away immediately after use before immediately washing your hands!
- If you don’t have a tissue, use your sleeve – and wash the item of clothing used at the next opportunity
- AVOID touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
- AVOID close contact with people who are unwell
- Don´t panic!
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