This Spanish Town Remains COVID-19 Free Due To Early Lockdown As Rest Of The Country Battles Virus

No COVID-19 cases in Zahara de la Sierra


Image adapted from: CNN

While Spain is being hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic with the second-most deaths recorded after Italy, a small town remains untouched by this virus.

Zahara de la Sierra is an old town with a population of 1,400 people located in the country’s southern region of Andalusia. And as of today, this place still hasn’t seen a single COVID-19 case. 


Precautionary decisions were made early


Santiago Galván

Image credit: CNN

According to CNN, town mayor Santiago Galván decided to block all but one access to town on 14th March – the same day the country officially announced a strict stay-at-home policy.

Although this was an extreme measure to take, the townspeople, especially the elderly, were fully supportive of Mr. Galván. In fact, around 25% of the population is over 65 years old and none of them has been affected by COVID-19. 

The report also mentioned that Zahara’s neighbouring villages and towns have been hit with the virus with several deaths.  


Spain’s COVID-19 situation


Image credit: Anadolu Agency

According to the World Health Organization’s report on 6th April, Spain total confirmed COVID-19 cases stand at 130,759 with 12,418 deaths and 40,437 recovered patients.

Good news is the country’s death rate is getting slower as fewer people are visiting hospitals, reported Reuters.

Bravo Mr. Galván for taking good care of Zahara and its people! We also hope for a speedy recovery for the whole nation.

Also read:


Enjoying The Smart Local Thailand? Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for all things Thailand

Eddie Jirayu: