King Felipe of Spain Wears Mask and Gloves for Hospital Visit Amid Coronavirus Crisis
Spain’s King Felipe is visiting the front lines in the fight against coronavirus.
The monarch, 52, quietly stepped out on Thursday to see the emergency field hospital at the IFEMA exhibition center in Madrid. The hospital was organized in just two days by the Community of Madrid and the Madrid City Council with the help of the Military Emergency Unit, transforming a complex that usually holds trade fairs into a hospital of 1,396 beds.
Although King Felipe toured facilities that were not occupied by patients, he took precaution against the respiratory virus by wearing a mask over his mouth and nose as well as gloves.
He removed the mask to give a speech thanking everyone involved in the hospital’s quick opening, adding that the place was a source of hope for Spain.
RELATED: Prince Charles, Prince Albert and More Royals Who Have Tested Positive for Coronavirus
Casa de S.M. el Rey Spanish Royal Household via Getty King Felipe
Casa de S.M. el Rey Spanish Royal Household via Getty King Felipe
King Felipe and Queen Letizia were tested for coronavirus earlier this month, after the Queen had a meeting with Minister of Equality Irene Montero. The Spanish politician later tested positive for coronavirus, and both she and her partner, Vice President of Social Rights and the 2030 Agenda Pablo Iglesias, were quarantined. The couple’s test results both came back negative.
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The hospital visit comes one day after the U.K.’s Prince Charles, 71, tested positive for coronavirus.
The heir to the throne has continued working at home and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, does not have the virus. Sources close to him say Charles has not been in the hospital and that doctors are advising that his diagnosis is unlikely to escalate into a more serious case. A spokesman says that the royal is “in good spirits.”
Casa de S.M. el Rey Spanish Royal Household via Getty King Felipe
Monaco’s Prince Albert, 62, has also tested positive for coronavirus, making him the first head of state to announce he had the illness.
“My symptoms are flu-like, but it feels like a pretty mild case,” he explained to PEOPLE. “I’ve [got] a slight fever, not really that bad. A little bit of a cough. I’d a runny nose the first few days, that was the first sign. I’ve felt a little stuffed up but that’s it.”
As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments and visit our coronavirus hub.
