Spain Sends Warship To Shores Of Country's Semi-Exclave In Africa To Fight Coronavirus

MADRID (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st March, 2020) The Galicia ship of the Spanish Navy will go to the shores of its semi-exclave of Melilla, which borders Morocco, to support the fight against the coronavirus epidemic in the Spanish region, the Spanish Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

The Galicia is commonly used for the transportation of troops and vehicles, its main task is to participate in naval landing operations. It also participated in peacekeeping and humanitarian operations. The ship has an operating room and an intensive care unit on board.

Currently, Galicia is docked at a base in Rota in Andalusia and is being equipped with necessary medical items.

Melilla has registered only 54 cases of COVID-19 so far, with one fatality, but due to the fact that the border with Morocco is closed, it is necessary to organize additional medical assistance in the region in the event of the worsening of the epidemiological situation.

In addition to Galicia, the Spanish Navy also has four vessels that can provide medical support. Aircraft carrier Juan Carlos I, landing platform dock Castilla, and replenishment oilers Patino and Cantabria are all equipped with ventilators and a sufficient number of hospital beds.

Spain currently ranks third globally in terms of COVID-19 cases and second in terms of fatalities. The death toll from the coronavirus in the country has surged by 849 over the past day, reaching 8,189, while the number of registered cases has increased by more than 9,200 to about 94,400.