Spain’s Andalusia declares Costa del Sol ‘containment zone’ as Coronavirus cases continue to soar

By Pepi Sappal • Published: 12 Mar 2020 • 16:20

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Portugal saw an increase of 598 new cases on Sunday, taking the country’s total number of infected to 16,585. Credit: Shutterstock

Andalusia has declared the Costa del Sol to be a ‘containment zone’ as Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases continue to soar in the region. In fact, Costa del Sol, the city of Malaga and Guadalhorce Valley now account for 70% of Coronavirus cases in the region, according to Andalusia’s Ministry of Health and Families.

There are now over 138 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus in total across the region, with more than 84 cases in Malaga alone (at the last count today). Jaen has registered a total of 17 cases, with 11 in Cadiz, 10 in Seville, eight in Granada, four in Almeria, three in Cordoba and one in Huelva.

Given the recent hike in the number of COVID-19 cases, Malaga and towns across the Costa del Sol have announced a raft of measures to contain the spreading virus. These include the closure of leisure centres for both children and the elderly, such as libraries, sports centres and after school activities. Hospitals in Malaga are also reported to be hiring additional staff in a bid to deal with the sharp rise in cases.