Madrid”s regional assembly has clashed with Spain’s central government over whether to impose tighter COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.
The Spanish capital and its surrounding region have registered the highest number of infections in the country.
The central government has ordered tougher measures but Madrid’s autonomous authority said such restrictions were not legal.
The capital is being isolated from the rest of Spain as its residents face being barred from leaving the city except on essential trips.
It came as part of a raft of new coronavirus restrictions for the capital.
The conservative regional assembly has already enforced localised lockdowns but now the central government is overriding it after weeks of fighting between the two authorities.
Salvador Illa, Spain’s health minister, said action in Madrid was necessary.
“The situation in Madrid is complex and worrying,” he said. “Madrid has 4,810 new cases today, according to the new data. It is the second-highest daily increase since the start of the second wave. The cases in Madrid are 43.7% of the total diagnoses in our country.”
Source link