MADRID, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Isabel Diaz Ayuso, president of the Autonomous Community of Madrid, on Monday became the latest Spanish politician who confirmed to be infected with the novel coronavirus.
Diaz Ayuso confirmed it on social media with a message in which she said "as I had previously tested negative for COVID-19, I have been working without rest for several weeks and as a result... I am also positive."
The member of the right-wing People's Party joins an ever-growing list of Spanish political leaders who have been infected with COVID-19.
The list includes Spain's Minister for Equality Irene Montero, Minister of Territorial Policy and Public Function Carolina Darias, while Montero's partner Pablo Iglesias, who is Second Deputy Prime Minister, is in self-quarantine, although he was present at Saturday's emergency cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
It was confirmed on Saturday night that Sanchez's wife Begona Gomez also tested positive for coronavirus and Sanchez too is taking the "necessary preventive measures."
Meanwhile, Santiago Abascal, leader of Vox, the third biggest party in the Spanish Congress (lower chamber), has also tested positive, so as Vox party Secretary General Ortega Smith, who was filmed coughing and sneezing while greeting party members at a rally held in Madrid on March 8.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Spain has risen to 8,744 on Monday, while death toll climbed to 297, the Ministry of Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Welfare confirmed.
It was also decided on Monday that the elections for the Basque Regional Parliament in northern Spain, which had been scheduled for April 5, have been postponed.
The Monday morning rush hour in Spain following the State of Alarm confirmed on Saturday night has gone by with relatively few incidents. Metro wagons in Madrid were virtually empty and very few cars on the roads.
The main problems were with crowding on a number of local trains in the early morning which made it difficult for travelers to maintain a safe distance from each other and which has brought criticism of transport management on social media in Spain.
