Fri 09 October 2020:
Spain’s government declared a state of emergency in Madrid on Friday, wresting control of efforts to fight the spread of COVID-19 from local authorities in a region that is experiencing one of Europe’s most significant coronavirus outbreaks.
On Thursday, a Madrid court struck down public health measures imposed by the central government last Friday, ruling that they infringed on individual liberties and were not legal outside of a state of emergency.
The state of emergency now restores the rules in Madrid to exactly what they were before Thursday’s court ruling.
Non-essential movement in and out of the city of Madrid and several nearby municipalities is forbidden again, while bars and restaurants can only operate at 50% capacity and must close at 11:00 p.m. local time (2100GMT).
Maximum capacity is also reduced in places of worship, gyms, shopping centers and more. Schools, however, will continue to operate as usual.
The state of emergency came as Spain enters into a long-weekend. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska announced that 7,000 police officers would be patrolling the perimeters of the confined cities to ensure no one is leaving or entering for unjustified reasons.
The state of emergency is the culmination of growing political tensions between the progressive central government and conservative Madrid authorities.
Madrid’s regional president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, said her own, more moderate measures were enough to fight COVID-19.
A Madrid court on Thursday upheld the regional government’s appeal, saying the national government’s imposition of restrictions violated people’s fundamental liberties.
The spat has taken place against a backdrop of political differences: Spain’s national government is led by the center-left Socialist party, while the Madrid region is run by the country’s main opposition party, the conservative Popular Party.
“It seems to me like an ideological war that is trying to show who has more power,” said 18-year-old student Marta Illo. “They (the Spanish government) don’t really like the regional government of Madrid. And we the people of Madrid are paying the price for a fight that is really political and has nothing to do with us.”
