[ad_1]
More than 850,000 residents of Madrid, Spain, and its metropolitan region will not be able to leave their neighborhoods as of this Monday (21), except for essential reasons such as working, going to the doctor or taking children to school due to the Pandemic of COVID-19.
The traffic restrictions, which are expected to last two weeks, affect eight neighborhoods, mainly the poorest and which concentrate a large part of immigrants. Failure to comply with the rules will be penalized with fines of at least € 600 (about 3,800 reais).
The measure tries to contain a new wave of coronavirus, which has killed more than 30,000 people in the country, according to a survey by the US University Johns Hopkins.
Madrid became the epicenter of infections, with a contagion rate of around 682 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in two weeks. This is almost three times the national average, which is 267.8.
The newspaper “El País” reports that the month of June was “quiet” in Madrid in relation to the pandemic. In July, the cases began to reappear as cities became emptier due to summer holidays (in the Northern Hemisphere). “In August, the virus reappeared and multiplied its incidence by 15. In the first weeks of September the rhythm was maintained and throughout the metropolitan area it exceeded 530 cases per 100,000 inhabitants,” the newspaper describes.
Madrid adopts a new blockade to control Covid-19 cases
The areas affected by the new sanitary measures are located mainly in the south of the Spanish capital and in the Greater Madrid region, where precariousness is greater than in other locations.
The lack of economic resources means that many families, composed mainly of migrants, are forced to share small spaces in these popular neighborhoods, which favors the spread of the virus. These groups also often use public transport, which increases the risk of contamination.
The mayor of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, explained that “circulation is allowed within these perimeters, but private meetings will have to be reduced to six people and activity in parks and gardens will be suspended until further notice.”
Last week, Ayuso was criticized for saying that “the immigrant lifestyle” was partly responsible for the sharp increase in pollution cases in these regions.