BREAKING: Madrid closes all care homes for a month after 7th Coronavirus death in Spain today

By Pepi Sappal • 06 March 2020 • 21:37

PEACEFUL PROTEST: Benidorm’s deputy mayor Ana Pellicer leads a minute’s silence for latest gender violence victim Photo credit: Benidorm town hall

Madrid has announced the closure of all care homes across the capital after the death of an elderly man today, resulting from the Coronavirus (COVID-19). The 83-year old died at Madrid’s Hospital Severo Ochoa de Leganés. Spain lost another three elderly victims to the virus today, which increases the number of total deaths in Spain to date to seven. Two of the deceased were also from Madrid, and the other from Zaragoza.

Given the rising number of deaths, Madrid has decided to close the doors of all its care and residential homes as a precautionary measure from tomorrow. This will affect around 213 centres in the capital, but does not apply to day centres, according to El Pais.

The Spanish health authorities have confirmed that around 370 people are now infected with the virus in the country, of which nine are in intensive care. Italy continues to be the most infected country in Europe, after China, registering 197 deaths and 4,636 people infected to date.