Coronavirus: France shuts non-essential shops as Spain goes into lockdown

Spain is now on lockdown while France has ordered the closure of non-essential shops in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus.

A Spanish royal decree announced tight restrictions on movement and a two week state of emergency.

People will only be allowed to leave their homes to buy food and medicine, commute to work, go to medical centers and banks, or take trips related to the care for the elderly, the young, and dependents. The decree comes into effect with immediate effect.

Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez said: “From now we enter into a new phase. We won’t hesitate in doing what we must to beat the virus. We are putting health first.”

The lockdown follows in the footsteps of Italy, which has used similar steps following a huge spike in the number of Covid-19 cases.

Meanwhile in France, prime minister Edouard Philippe said all restaurants, cafes, theaters and nonessential shops would be closed from Sunday. Under the ruling, petrol stations, pharmacies and food stores would be allowed to remain open.

Health authorities in Spain said on Saturday that coronavirus infections have reached 5,753 people, half of them in the capital, Madrid.

It represents a national increase of over 1,500 in 24 hours. The country had 136 deaths, up from 120.

Prime minister Pedro Sánchez was due to address the nation in the afternoon to announce the lockdown.

Spain's decision comes as European countries are taking more severe measures to combat the spread of the virus.

Jet2 has cancelled all flights to mainland Spain, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands with immediate effect in an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The airline, which is based at nine UK airports, had their planes from the UK to Spain turned back in mid-air and diverted to airports including Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds Bradford and East Midlands.

"This is a fast-moving and complex situation and we are reviewing our programme as a matter of urgency, so that we can fly customers back to the UK," the airline said in a statement.

Jet2 has cancelled all flights to mainland Spain, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands. Credit: AP

Football leagues across the continent have been postponed while rugby, cricket and other major sporting figures have also been cancelled or delayed.

Schools, bars and shops not selling essential goods are among the facilities being closed in many places.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Europe as the epicentre of the virus. By Saturday, more than 145,000 infections and over 5,400 deaths had been confirmed worldwide.

Residents in Madrid, which has around half the infections, and northeastern Catalonia had already awoken Saturday to shuttered bars and restaurants and other non-essential commercial outlets as ordered by regional authorities.

A view of Mayor square in downtown in Madrid, Spain. Credit: AP

Madrid ordered city parks closed and Seville canceled its Easter Week processions — one of Spain’s most important religious and cultural events.

Spain’s measures to date, though, had fallen 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.

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 one meter between each other.

Coronavirus: Everything you need to know