Basketball match to be played in empty stadium due to coronavirus risk

Two more cases of people in Catalonia infected with coronavirus were reported by the health authorities on Tuesday, taking the toll of confirmed cases to 18.

The first was a 31-year-old woman living in Viladecans, south of Barcelona, who the health authorities said was infected after having contact with a previously confirmed case.

Later in the day, the authorities confirmed the case of a 38-year-old man who was on holiday in Catalonia after spending time in Milan, who was admitted to hospital at the end of February.

The Catalan health service says that none of the infected are in a serious condition, and none of the 315 quarantined people identified as having had contact with infected people have shown any symptoms.

The health authorities also say they are beginning to treat those people infected with the virus at home rather than in hospital, with two of the 18 confirmed cases receiving medical attention at home.

Sport hit

Spain's health ministry announced that fans will not be able to attend some football and basketball matches, specifically where visiting teams are coming from places with a higher incidence of coronavirus.

Only one in Catalonia will have to be played behind closed doors: the women’s basketball match between Uni Girona against Venice.

First fatality in Valencia 

On Tuesday evening the Valencian Health Minister declared that, following a retrospective investigation, a man who died on February 13 in the Valencian Community had contracted coronavirus. This is the first death in Spain linked to coronavirus.

According to the Health Minister Ana Barceló, the man, whose age was not specified, died of pneumonia in a Valencian hospital. Days later he was ordered to have a autopsy to see if his death could have been caused by coronavirus, and the resulting tests were positive.

Barceló also said that the man had traveled to Nepal.