Migrants quarantined after Canary Islands rescue

MADRID: A group of migrants rescued off the coast of Fuerteventura have been placed in mandatory quarantine as Spain moves to reduce the likelihood of imported virus cases, local officials said on Saturday.

Their boat was pulled to safety by the Spanish coastguard on Friday night and all 38 migrants were taken to a port on Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands.

They were rescued on the day that Spain began imposing a new mandatory 14-day quarantine requirement on any incoming travellers arriving by sea or air in a bid to avoid any imported coronavirus cases.

On arrival, the migrants were placed in quarantine, a Canaries government official told AFP, without giving any details about who was on board or where they were being held.

The new measures will remain in force until May 24 when the state of emergency expires, although the government on Saturday signalled its intent to extend the restrictions until the end of June.

One of the world’s worst-hit countries in which the virus has killed more than 27,000 people, Spain has begun a cautious process of slowly lifting its stringent mid-March lockdown.