Britons advised to avoid travel to five areas of Spain as coronavirus pandemic closes towns
Britons should avoid all but essential travel to five regions of Spain, the Foreign Office has advised, as authorities there try to prevent the Covid-19 crisis from escalating.
The regions of Madrid, La Rioja and the municipalities of La Bastida, Vitoria and Miranda de Ebro have all been designated by local authorities as "areas of community transmission".
The Foreign Office is not currently advising Britons to avoid visiting other regions of Spain, or suggesting British citizens should leave the country, as transport routes remain open.
It comes as 60,000 people awoke on Friday in four towns near Barcelona to find they have been confined to their homes, with police blocking roads. Nobody will be allowed out of the towns in a bid to contain the virus.
The order by regional authorities in Catalonia is Spain's first mandatory lockdown as infections increase sharply, putting a strain on health services and pressure on the government for more action.
The situation in and around the Spanish capital, Madrid, with nearly 2,000 positive cases of the new virus and hospitals rapidly filling up, is a source of significant concern for authorities.
The country as a whole had more than 3,800 cases by Friday morning and at least 84 deaths, but with a rate of contagion that is skyrocketing. In some areas, cases are doubling overnight.
The government has closed museums and sports centres, sent home nearly 10 million students and has asked people to work remotely, while limiting crowds at public events in high-risk areas.
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It comes as the Spanish parliament was temporarily suspended and its deputy prime minister placed in self-isolation after his wife tested positive for the virus.
Schools in the capital, Madrid, have also begun a two-week shutdown.
Spain is the latest country to impose lockdown conditions on its some of its citizens, following in the footsteps on Italy, Denmark and France - all of which have taken significant steps to prevent the spread of the virus.
In Ireland; schools, universities and tourist attractions have been closed.
The British government said on Thursday the UK would move from the "contain" to "delay" phase to slow the spread of coronavirus, critics have questioned whether the move comes too late - or if enough is being done.