Spanish police imposed tight restrictions and set up roadblocks near Madrid and stopped cars on the main roads to and from the capital on Saturday, after the re-imposition of general isolation measures in the city due to the high number of cases of the Coronavirus.
The police measures come as part of the efforts to confront the outbreak of the Corona pandemic in the country.
These measures are preventing about 4.8 million people from leaving the metropolitan area, while restaurants and bars must close their doors early and reduce their capacity by half.
However, the authorities advised residents not to move except when absolutely necessary, and movement was banned except for the purposes of going to work or school, health conditions, or shopping.
The health authorities registered 850 cases per 100,000 people, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Madrid region has the worst rate of infection with the Coronavirus in Europe.
Spain had recorded 789,932 cases of the deadly virus until yesterday, Friday, and an increase of 11,325 cases since Thursday, as well as 32,086 deaths.
Daily deaths are near their highest levels since early May, although they are well below the record set in late March of nearly 900 cases.
The Spanish ministry met a refusal from the local authorities in the region that intend to resort to the judiciary, as the appeal that will be submitted in the National Court confirms that these restrictions represent an assault and an infringement of its powers.
The Socialist Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, confirmed today, Saturday in Brussels, that the ministerial decision respects the powers of the region, and justified the measures taken with the "exceptional danger" of the epidemic in this region.
The decision of the Spanish Ministry of Health represents a new chapter in the policy of push and pull between the government and the region of Madrid headed by the province, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, which considers the procedures as a "legal basis" and represents "an interference" in the independence of the region
The Madrid region is the most affected by the virus, after recording 695 infections per thousand people.
A source in the local government in Madrid said that within the coming hours, the city authorities will publish a decree imposing partial isolation measures in the capital and 9 neighboring towns.
When the local government publishes the decree, it will be reluctantly obeying the central government's order to ban unnecessary travel in the Spanish capital, after the recent sharp increase in the number of COVID-19 cases.
It is not clear until now when the new isolation measures will take effect and for how long they will take effect.
The President of the Madrid region, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, is due to file a lawsuit in the country's courts, demanding the lifting of the restrictions, as it fears its effects on the capital's economy.
WHO said that the incidence of the disease in the Madrid region is 859 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, and thus it is witnessing the worst outbreak of Covid-19 in Europe.
The Spanish government announced that it decided to prevent residents of the capital, which has become the epicenter of the outbreak of the Coronavirus, from leaving unless necessary, under new rules to prevent the spread of the epidemic
It confirmed that the capital, which is inhabited by more than three million people, and nine municipalities surrounding it, each of which has a population of at least one hundred thousand, will be closed to those coming to it except for the necessary visits.
Citizens will be allowed to cross for work, studies, visits to doctors' clinics, or shopping, not for entertainment.
The measures also include closing bars and restaurants at eleven in the evening, as well as closing parks and playgrounds, and gathering of more than six people will not be allowed.
Follow the latest news on Google News
