Date Published: 24/03/2020
ARCHIVED - Coronavirus victims found dead in their beds at residences for the elderly in Spain
ARCHIVED ARTICLE
Widespread shock greets the news broken by the Minister of Defence
The latest news related to the coronavirus epidemic in old people’s homes in Spain has caused widespread shock throughout the country after Margarita Robles, the Minister for Defence, reported on Monday that members of the armed forces have found elderly people lying dead in their beds in at least two such establishments.
According to Sra Robles, “the army has seen old people completely abandoned, some of them dead in their beds” while carrying out the disinfection of the premises, a revelation made during a television interview which has understandably outraged members of the public. There have been numerous reports of multiple deaths in residences for the elderly, particularly in the north of the country, and on Monday the regional government of Murcia announced that it was taking over the Caser residence in Santo Ángel following the death of an 87-year-old resident just hours after the management had claimed that there were no cases of Covid-19 to report.
After the news broke on Monday the national government was quick to respond with a promise that the action taken against old people’s homes found to be maltreating their residents would be firm and decisive.
On Monday the armed forces were inspecting and disinfecting 73 old people’s homes in Spain, including 14 in the region of Madrid, and it is to be hoped that no more incidents of this kind are uncovered.
Image: Military Emergencies Unit personnel disinfecting an old people’s home
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What to do if you are in the Region of Murcia and believe you may have contracted the virus
The regional government has set up a special helpline to supply information to members of the public (900 121212), and also urges people to call the 112 emergency services line if they suspect that they may have contracted the virus rather than going straight to hospital or to a medical centre. Medical staff will be sent to your home to test for the virus.
The Region’s public hospitals have limited the number of visitors to just one per patient.
Sensible precautions
The advice being issued to members of the public by medical authorities all over the world coincides on the following points:
- Wash hands frequently with either soap and water or a sanitiser gel
- Catch coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues – and throw the tissues away immediately after use before immediately washing your hands!
- If you don’t have a tissue, use your sleeve – and wash the item of clothing used at the next opportunity
- AVOID touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
- AVOID close contact with people who are unwell
- Don´t panic!
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