'Lost my head': Aussie star trapped in coronavirus lockdown in Spain
Alex de Minaur has opened up about being trapped in Spain amid the coronavirus crisis.
The Aussie tennis star is currently in lockdown in the south-eastern city of Alicante after visiting family members.
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De Minaur made the decision to head to Spain after the Indian Wells tournament in California was cancelled in early March.
However just days into his visit the Spanish government announced they were shutting the country’s borders.
Speaking to Aussie tennis great Todd Woodbridge on Tuesday, De Minaur opened up on what he’s been doing while stuck in his apartment.
“Obviously I've been alone, so I've had to make new friends,” the 21-year-old said, adding he’s taken to social media platform TikTok to pass the time.
“I probably lost my head on day two. I've got sisters and they decided It would be a good idea to do 'TikTok'.
“I'm currently on house arrest, it's been officially twelve days since lockdown.
“We're pretty much not allowed to leave the house unless we're going to the supermarket or the hospital, basically it's pretty bad over here.”
De Minaur also sent a message to the world about staying inside and stopping the spread of the virus.
“In apartment buildings and blocks, at 8pm everyone goes out and gives a round of applause for all the people that are working on the front line,” he said.
“It doesn't just affect you. The people you could infect, your loved ones and people close by, there's only one way to make this stop and it's to try flatten the curve and not get infected.
“You can do that by just staying at home, it's as simple as that.”
Spain second to Italy for total coronavirus deaths
Spain awoke to its third week under near-total lockdown on Sunday, as the government met to approve a strengthening of measures and the coronavirus death toll rose by a record 838 cases overnight to 6528.
Second only to Italy in fatalities, Spain also saw infections rise to 78,797 from 72,248 the day before.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, in a televised address to the nation on Saturday night, announced that all non-essential workers must stay at home for two weeks, the latest government measure in the fight against coronavirus.
He said workers would receive their usual salaries but would have to make up lost hours at a later date. The measure would last from March 30 to April 9.
Unions welcomed the measures and business groups CEOE and CEPYME said that while they would comply with the new rule, "it will generate an unprecedented huge impact on the Spanish economy, especially in sectors such as industry".
The slowdown “may lead to a deeper crisis in the economy that could become social", they warned in a statement.
In Madrid, birdsong drowned out traffic on deserted streets on Sunday morning as police reinforced patrols, stopping buses and cars to check passengers had reason to be out of their homes.
Schools, bars, restaurants and shops selling non-essential items have been shut since March 14 and most of the population is house-bound as Spain tries to curb the virus.
with AAP
