Spain has sentenced 330,000 people to prison or a large fine in less than a month for failing to comply with the measures of state of emergency, writes La Vanguardia Friday. About three thousand people committed such a serious mistake that they were arrested on the spot.
Almost all fines were imposed because residents left their homes for no serious reason. Only essential trips, such as shopping for groceries, are still allowed.
Anyone who does not comply with this risk a fine of 300 to 1,000 euros. Depending on the risk of recidivism, a month-long sentence can also be imposed.
Residents do have longer to pay their fines due to the emergency, writes La Vanguardia. Only when the emergency measures have been withdrawn will a deadline come into force, according to the newspaper. Citizens can appeal against the imposed sanction.
In the Netherlands, more than 1,400 fines have so far been issued to people who did not abide by the cabinet’s corona measures, the police announced this week.
Spain continues positive trend: fewer deaths reported again
Spain declared a state of emergency in mid-March. Since then, residents have had to stay at home as much as possible and strict enforcement is in place. On Thursday, the state of emergency was extended by more than two weeks, until April 26. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expects the state of emergency to remain active in the following weeks.
The country reported on Friday that the death toll from the COVID-19 virus had increased by 605 to 15,843. That is almost 80 fewer than Thursday and is also the smallest number since March 24. The number of infections increased by about 5,000 to 157,022. Nearly 1,000 more were reported on Thursday.
Both the WHO and the Spanish Ministry of Health confirmed this week that the virus outbreak in the country has been curbed.
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The coronavirus in short
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