Photos show how coronavirus precautions left everything from schools to stadiums deserted across Spain — as cases spike past 1,600

AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos

• Spain is seeing a surge of new coronavirus cases. The country's total number of confirmed cases tripled from Sunday to Monday, Reuters reported.

• The country is trying to avoid an epidemic on the scale of Italy's.

• In affected regions, schools have been closed for two weeks, soccer games will be played without fans, and some towns have been quarantined.

• In Madrid, the Rioja region, and the northern Basque Country, gatherings of more than 1,000 were banned.

• More than 1,600 coronavirus infections have been recorded in Spain, including at least 36 deaths.

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Since Sunday, Spain's confirmed number of COVID-19 cases tripled. The outbreak has hit three regions — Madrid, the Rioja region, and the northern Basque region — particularly hard.

AP Photo/Manu Fernandez

There have been at least 36 deaths, according to Reuters. Spain, which has more than 1,600 confirmed coronavirus cases, is now hoping to contain the virus and avoid the scope affecting Italy.

In Madrid, Spain's capital, the lower parliament canceled sessions for a week after one lawmaker was found to have COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

AP Photo/Bernat Armangue

Source: Reuters

Schools in Madrid and the city of Vitoria, in the northern Basque region, will close for two weeks in an effort to curb the spread.

AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos

Source: Associated Press

For Madrid, which has seen a growing number of COVID-19 cases, the closings will affect kindergarten all the way through the university level.

AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos

Source: Associated Press

Soccer games in the country will be played in empty stadiums for at least two weeks to stop the spread of the virus in the country. Several other European countries, including France and Portugal, are enacting similar measures.

AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti

Source: Associated Press

The police are helping enforce a quarantine of the 11,000 residents in the town of Haro, located in the Rioja region. About 30 cases were reported in Haro. Fines for breaking the quarantine may be 3,000 to 600,000 euros, according to authorities.

AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti

Source: Associated Press

In Haro, authorities believe the outbreak stemmed from a funeral in the northern region of the country. Some of the cases in the Basque region can also be tied to the funeral.

AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos

Source: Associated Press

Other measures put in place to stop the spread have included churches telling people to stop kissing statues of Jesus and Mary as part of a pre-Easter tradition.

AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos

Source: Reuters

The country also suspended flights from Italy.

AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos

Source: Reuters

Indoor events that hosted more than 1,000 people were also banned in the three most most affected regions.

AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos

• Read more:

• Italy sealed off entire towns and canceled major events after 400 coronavirus cases and 12 deaths made it the most infected country outside of Asia

• Italy is in a nationwide lockdown over the coronavirus. Here are the rules all 60 million citizens now have to follow.

• A shortage of medical supplies and hospital beds in Italy is forcing doctors to choose which coronavirus patients to save — and they're said to be choosing the young.

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