The military in Spain will be brought in in an attempt to contain the virus.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has declared a state of emergency for two weeks over the coronavirus outbreak.
The state of emergency, or “state of alarm”, will come into effect on Saturday 14 March.
This comes after news emerged on Friday 13 March that the number of deaths recorded in Spain rose 40% in one day to 120.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 infections in Spain has now reached 4,209.
The state of emergency will allow the government to take wide-ranging measures, including:
- limiting the movement of people or vehicles
- ordering evacuations
- prohibiting access to certain areas or places
- intervening in areas of industry and farming
Sanchez also announced plans to deploy the military to contain the coronavirus outbreak.
This comes hours after it was announced that Irish people returning from Spain and Italy were told not to go to work.
Minister for Health Simon Harris said: “It seems logical if we’re now telling people not to travel to these countries that the people who have travelled to these countries would take additional precautions when they return.”
Further travel advice is available on the Department of Foreign Affairs website here.
