Spain to shut schools in Madrid as coronavirus cases double in a day

Spain’s national government and Madrid regional authorities have agreed to shut all schools and universities in the country’s capital beginning Wednesday as part of efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus after the number of cases almost doubled overnight.

Authorities are responding to a worrying acceleration of cases, which jumped to 1,204 on Monday from 589 on Sunday, with the outbreak focused on Madrid and the Basque country, an industrial hub.

“We have agreed to suspend of classes from age zero to universities,” Spanish Health Minister Salvador Illa said, referring to the Madrid region and two cities in the Basque Country. The government also recommended that companies there organise remote working for their employees and flexible working hours, Illa said after a meeting with regional governments.

The Health Ministry and Madrid’s regional government earlier Monday met seeking to get to the bottom of why there’s been a sudden spike in cases, and a government official said Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was aiming to present a package of measures at a cabinet meeting Tuesday.

In Madrid alone, the number of confirmed cases rose dramatically by about 200 over the course of 24 hours: 28 people have died, compared to 8 deaths reported Sunday.

“We want the plan to be efficient and adjusted to the magnitude of the problem,” Sanchez said at an event in Madrid. “The existing information suggests that in our country the crisis will have a negative impact, just as it will in the international arena.”