As Spain prepares to enforce emergency powers on Saturday to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic,
and the Philippines introduces a night curfew, New Zealand New Zealand
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced the "toughest border
restrictions of any country in the world", enforcing mandatory
self-isolation on international arrivals, including Kiwi citizens.
Spain braces for the worst
Health
authorities in Spain say coronavirus infections have reached 5,753
people, of which almost 3,000 are in the capital, Madrid.
That represents a national increase of more than 1,500 in 24 hours.
No new figures for deaths were immediately announced, but as of Friday, Spain had recorded 120 COVID-19 deaths.
Spain's
Cabinet is meeting on Saturday to declare a two-week state of
emergency, giving the government extraordinary powers that include
restricting free movement.
Britain's
Jet2 planes from the UK to Spain turned back in mid-air as the airline
announced it was cancelling all flights to the country amid the
outbreak.
Jet2,
which is based at nine UK airports and flies to destinations including
Alicante, Malaga and Lanzarote, says it is cancelling all flights to
mainland Spain, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands with
immediate effect.
A spokeswoman for the airline confirmed on Saturday morning that flights had turned back.
Residents
in Madrid, which has around half the infections, and northeastern
Catalonia awoke Saturday to shuttered bars and restaurants and other
non-essential commercial outlets as ordered by regional authorities.
Spain's
measures to date, though, fall far short of those ordered by Italy, the
worst-hit European country, which has reached a total of over 17,600
confirmed cases – the largest outbreak after China – with 1,266 deaths.
Italy continues the fight
The government in Rome has ordered an unprecedented lockdown, ordering businesses to close and restricting people's movement.
Mayors of many Italian cities, including Rome and Milan, decided to close public playgrounds and parks.
Under
a government decree issued earlier in the week, people had been allowed
in parks as long as they kept at least a distance of 1 metre between
each other.
NZ travel restrictions
After an emergency Cabinet meeting on Saturday afternoon, Ms Ardern declared the unprecedented quarantine measure to fight the growing spread of the coronavirus.
"We do not take these decisions lightly," she said.
"We
have two choices as a nation. One is to let COVID-19 roll on. The other
is to go hard on measures to stamp it out. It is in our power to slow
it down. That's why we must go hard, and go early, and do everything we
can to protect New Zealanders' health."
Drastic measures in the Philippines
Philippine
officials on Saturday announced a night curfew in the capital and said
millions of people in the densely populated region should leave their
homes during the daytime only for work or urgent errands under
restrictions imposed to fight the coronavirus.
Drastic
steps announced by President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday sparked
widespread confusion and questions, prompting officials on Saturday to
detail the measures and issue guidelines for the month-long restrictions
in Manila that will take effect on Sunday.
The
measures involve suspending domestic travel by land, air and sea to and
from the capital region, home to more than 12 million people. Large
gatherings like concerts and movies will be prohibited and most
government work in executive department offices will be suspended in the
metropolis. Suspensions of school classes at all levels were extended
by a month.
Philippine
health officials reported 34 new cases of coronavirus infections
Saturday, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 98. Eight
of the patients have died.
You can find more information about the international coronavirus outbreak from the World Health Organisation and health.gov.au.
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