More corona deaths than China – Spain is in shock

The deputy head of government is now infected.

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The government in Madrid has extended the curfew to at least April 12 due to the Corona crisis. “It is not easy to prolong the state of emergency,” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in parliament on Thursday. “But I am convinced that the only efficient option against the virus is social isolation.” The largest opposition party, the conservative People’s Party, supports the measure. At the same time, however, she criticized the government’s late response and the failure to provide medical personnel with sufficient life-saving equipment.

Spain is the second country after Italy, at least according to official statistics, to overtake China in the number of corona deaths. The number of fatalities rose overnight on Thursday by 655 to 4089. That was less than the 738 registered the previous day. More than 56,000 infections are registered across the country. Among them is deputy prime minister Carmen Calvo, who has been infected with the corona virus – as the third member of the cabinet.

Confusion of information between the authorities

In a fierce debate about the inadequate preparation of the entire health care system for the pandemic, the Madrid Supreme Court emphasized the fact that it rushed to reject the medical unions’ request to force the government to immediately distribute protective clothing and masks. The central government is not responsible for this.

“The only efficient option against the virus is social isolation.”

Pedro Sanchez, Prime Minister of Spain

But a social court in Madrid sentenced the conservative regional president Isabel Ayuso to immediately distribute the stocks of such materials to the hospitals. The association of doctoral doctors had filed a complaint, referring to messages from the Ministry of Health that all the necessary materials were available in magazines. However, a spokesman for Ayusos said that nothing was being held back in the Madrid region. The Madrid newspapers have been complaining for days about a confusion of skills and information between the authorities.

550 million masks from China

The ministry announced that 432 million euros of materials were ordered in China, including 550 million protective masks, 5.5 million virus tests, and 950 ventilators. Spanish Air Force transport planes are expected to collect the material. The government also asked NATO partners to help fill the gaps in supplies. Almost 14 percent of those infected belong to the medical staff. It became known that two doctors also died from the virus, a 59-year-old general practitioner in Salamanca, who actually had only mild symptoms, and the 63-year-old doctor from a public health center in Córdoba.

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Director of the Health Emergency Agency (CCAES), Fernando Simón, said the increase in infections and deaths has slowed significantly. It is expected that the peak will be reached in the coming week, after which the curves will presumably sink again. According to him, this means that the rigorous measures are effective: curfew, apart from visits to the doctor, the purchase of food and medicine; Trips to care for relatives are also permitted.

Reports had caused great excitement that several dozen body bags and coffins had been temporarily stored in the large ice rink in the north of Madrid. The international media reported that so many people were dying in Madrid that the crematoriums were completely overloaded. The all-clear came on Wednesday: the largest urban crematorium resumed work after a day and a half after protective clothing had arrived for the employees. In the meantime, the Catholic Church has approved rapid procedures for the burial of urns and coffins: a priest only sprinkles holy water on the hearse slowly moving to the burial site and says a prayer, only the closest relatives are admitted, but have to keep their distance from the burial.

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