Alghadeer TV Alghadeer TV
People in Barcelona hunker down for the fifth week in a row in fear of a pandemic that has claimed the lives of over 4,000 people across Catalonia. In Spain, the death toll has reached a staggering 20,000 while the number of confirmed cases has exceeded any other country in Europe.
But the spread is slowing, officials say, with the biggest drop in fatalities and infections since the beginning of the pandemic. In Hospital del Mar, one of Barcelona’s main public hospitals, healthcare personnel is breathing a cautious sigh of relief.
Spain has adopted very strict lockdown measures since mid-March as it scrambled to flatten the curve of the virus. Authorities are now mulling an extension of the lockdown until May 9, but as the spread of infections subsides, there is growing pressure on the central government in Madrid to relax the strict rules that have taken a toll on Spaniards, particularly children. Prime minster Pedro Sanchez has eventually agreed to loosen restrictions on the use of public spaces, partly for children by the end of April.
Many have welcomed the move toward de-confinement but healthcare workers say they remain on high alert.
As they prepare for an imminent rebound of the pandemic, healthcare workers warn of a shortage in personal protective equipment, or PPE.
While the public is urged to practice social distancing and stay home, healthcare givers remain on the frontline, working against the clock and against a virus we still know little about.
