Deserted streets, talking drones as Spain goes under state of emergency over virus

A woman in a protective mask walks at an almost empty Atocha train station at rush hour during partial lockdown as part of a 15-day state of emergency to combat the coronavirus disease outbreak in Madrid, Spain March 16, 2020. REUTERS/Sergio Perez

MADRID (Reuters) - The streets of Spanish cities were eerily quiet on Monday, with the silence interrupted by police loudspeakers telling people to go home, as Spaniards spent their first working day under a lockdown due to the coronavirus epidemic.

Spain's 47 million people have been under partial lockdown since Saturday night, allowed to leave their homes only to go to work, buy food or visit a pharmacy or hospital.