Spain coronavirus death toll hits 1,000 as ALL hotels and Airbnbs ordered to close within seven days in huge crackdown

SPAIN’s death toll has hit 1,002 - climbing by 235 deaths in the past day - as the country orders the closure of all hotels and Airbnbs within seven days.

Spanish authorities have already begun converting hotels into makeshift hospitals as they battle with the outbreak which infected 18,077 patients in the country.

⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates

4

4

The extraordinary ruling, which was announced late last night, will affect all hotels, tourist accommodation, camping sites and caravan parks.

Spain's new measure orders “the suspension of opening to the public of all hotels and similar lodgings, tourist accommodation and other short-term accommodation... situated on national territory,” the official notice reads.

The hotels will have to close by next Thursday, although the measure does not apply to long-term accommodation where guests can cater for themselves - as long as they can obey quarantine rules.

These establishments will not be able to admit new clients until further orders.

Some regions of Spain, including Benidorm, the Costa Blanca and Valencia, have already imposed self-regulation and more than 300 hotels will complete their closure by this weekend.

The FCO now advises that Britons who want to return to the UK should make travel plans as soon as possible', although flights have been cut back because of the outbreak.

Spain is the world's second-most popular tourist destination, after France, and the tourist industry is key to its economy.

Before this announcement Airbnb offered full refunds to guests.

The said: “We did not want guests making the decision to put themselves in unsafe situations and creating a public health hazard because of a commitment to their bookings.”

4

4