Spain

Coronavirus: Madrid back in lockdown, 4.8m people barred from leaving area

With 850 cases for every 100,000 people, the Madrid area has Europe's worst coronavirus infection rate. PHOTO: AFP

MADRID • Police set up controls and stopped cars on major roads into and out of Madrid yesterday as the city went back into lockdown due to surging coronavirus cases.

About 4.8 million people are barred from leaving the capital area, while restaurants and bars must shut early and reduce capacity by half.

The new restrictions, which started on Friday evening and will initially last for 14 days, are not as strict as the previous lockdown in March, when people were barred from leaving their homes.

However, the authorities advised residents not to move around unless absolutely necessary. Travel is banned except for work, school, medical appointments or shopping.

"There are fewer people than we're used to, shops are empty, bars are empty, there's a feeling of sadness," said Professor Valerio Rocco Lozano, director of the Circulo de Bellas Artes cultural organisation.

"We had reservations, but a lot of people have called to cancel them," said Ms Macarena Molina, who works in a hostel in central Madrid.

"Today, we had a reservation... and they cancelled just an hour before, saying they were not going to travel because of the restrictions."

The latest measures ordered by the Socialist-led central government were reluctantly imposed by the conservative-led Madrid government, which said they would cripple the economy.

Madrid's bars and restaurants must close at 11pm instead of 1am, while restaurants, gyms and shops must cut capacity by half. Gatherings of more than six people remain banned.

Near the Plaza Mayor square, usually packed with tourists on a Saturday during lunchtime, waiter Luis stood, menu in hand, trying to drum up business.

"No one is walking past here," he said. "I don't know how much longer we are going to keep our jobs."

With 850 cases for every 100,000 people, according to the World Health Organisation, the Madrid area has Europe's worst rate.

Spain had 789,932 coronavirus cases as at Friday, up by 11,325 since last Thursday, and there have been 32,086 fatalities.

Daily deaths are around their highest levels since early May, although far below the late March record of nearly 900.

The new restrictions will destroy 18,000 jobs and €750 million (S$1.19 billion) in revenue each week, Madrid's regional government said in a lawsuit filed on Friday.

The regional government argued the new curbs were imposed without the required unanimous consensus of Spain's 17 regions that are primarily in charge of health services.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Madrid was facing "a moment of extraordinary gravity" and defended the move as necessary to limit the circulation of the virus in a region that counted 36 per cent of Spain's infections in the past fortnight.

For now, the court challenge will not impede implementation of the restrictions.

REUTERS, BLOOMBERG, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on October 04, 2020, with the headline Coronavirus: Madrid back in lockdown, 4.8m people barred from leaving area. Subscribe