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Madrid Plans to Appeal Spain’s Order for Tougher Virus Curbs

Madrid Considers Appeal of Spain’s Order for Tougher Virus Curbs

Madrid is considering challenging coronavirus restrictions ordered by the national government, prolonging tension among Spanish authorities as infections soar.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s administration late Wednesday mandated additional curbs on movement in hard-hit cities like Madrid. While the region’s government, which has resisted pressure to lockdown the capital, will implement them, it’s hoping a court strikes down the measures.

“This government in not a rebel and will abide by all orders, but we’ll appeal them to defend the interests of the people of Madrid,” Isabel Diaz Ayuso, the region’s president, said in the local parliament on Thursday.

Spain has once again emerged as a hot spot for the disease, with the highest number of cases in Europe, largely because of surging infections in Madrid. But split responsibility has complicated efforts to respond to new outbreaks.

Madrid Plans to Appeal Spain’s Order for Tougher Virus Curbs

In contrast to the infighting in Spain, Italy’s virus response looks set to remain firmly in the hands of the national government. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte will seek to extend emergency powers granted to combat the coronavirus pandemic to Jan. 31.

The situation in Italy, where a renewed spike in cases since summer hasn’t been as pronounced as in some neighboring countries, continues to be “critical, but under control,” Conte told reporters on Thursday.

Italy had about 39 new cases per 100,000 people in the last 14 days, compared with 330 in Spain and 237 in France, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

In Spain, Sanchez’s government was under pressure to restore authority over policy to regional authorities in May, setting up the current wrangling over containment efforts.

The most recent data from the Spanish Health Ministry show that 40% of the latest daily infections were in Madrid, and more than a third of deaths in the past week happened in the region. Still, the local government, which is run by the main opposition party to Sanchez’s government, has balked at tougher measures.

Most of Spain’s 17 regions agreed to the new rules in a meeting late Wednesday.

The order published on Thursday lays out a set of criteria for cities larger than 100,000 citizens to lock down. It includes a contagion rate higher than 500 cases for every 100,000 people and an intensive-care occupancy rate of more than 35% of beds are occupied by Covid-19 patients. Madrid and at least nine other cities in the region fall within those criteria.

The curbs will limit shops and public services to 50% of capacity and operating hours to 10 p.m., with some exceptions.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.