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While in other major cities in Spain and Europe, cafes, restaurants and bars remain hermetically closed due to the pandemic, in Madrid the traffic continues until midnight.
The surprising thing is that in the Spanish capital, until recently the epicenter of the pandemic internationally, the number of cases is decreasing and other epidemiological data are constantly improving in recent weeks.
As reported by German waveAt the end of September, when in other parts of Europe the pandemic was still not of special concern, the district of Madrid registered 813 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. That number has been reduced to 152 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Compared with the data of the so-called “autonomous communities” of Spain (that is, the autonomous communities with greater powers of self-government) it is shown that only the islands (the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands), as well as the autonomous communities of Galicia and Valencia register better data .
Even in Germany, according to the Robert Koch State Institute, many of the L -nder, including Berlin, Bavaria and Bremen, have a worse epidemiological picture.
“The miracle of Madrid”
The newspaper El Mundo and other Spanish media speak of the “miracle of Madrid”. The experts are concerned, but find no explanation. What is Madrid doing well, perhaps setting an example for others?
“This is the question of a million euros,” epidemiologist José Honai Oheda told El Mundo.it’s too early “for a credible explanation.
However, both he and some of his colleagues respond with a working hypothesis to the question “what can be the secret of success”: antibody detection test.
At the end of September, the Spanish authorities acquired five million of these tests and began to carry them out in the districts of Madrid with more “epidemiological” problems.
«It was a good decision, because it allowed us to detect cases faster, easier and cheaper.so that those infected with the virus can isolated in timeSays Michel Ρngel Rogio, spokesman for the Spanish Association of Epidemiologists.
Of course, antibody detection tests are considered less sensitive than the standard molecular method (PCR). However, Ocheda observes, “few positive cases are those that are not detected.”
Other regions of Spain, which are unable to control the coronavirus despite its theoretically stricter measures, are watching the evolution of Madrid with a mixture of envy and mistrust.
Catalans are especially skeptical, who aspire to compete with Madrilenians in everything from soccer to the economy. “We do not share the optimism of Madrid, it is clear that there is a blackout in terms of correct information,” said the Catalan Health Minister, Marc Ramentol.
In the same The restaurants, bars, cinemas and theaters of Catalonia will be closed until 23 November. The corresponding directive, which was first issued on October 16, is renewed from time to time. Further, Catalonia has been isolated from the rest of Spain and has imposed a night curfew. But what exactly does Ramenthol mean?
Is the Spanish government giving false information about Madrid? Some experts do not rule out the possibility of local problems or oligarchies in data recording, but, as they point out, “The situation in the hospitals cannot be improved”.
And there is an improvement, as At the beginning of October, the number of patients admitted for coronavirus in the Spanish capital reached 2,500 per day, while last Thursday it was only 238In fact, on the same day, 316 people were discharged from the hospital.
“The reality is that patient admissions for Covid-19 have decreased,” said Saul Ares, director of biotechnology at the Spanish Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC).
District-level closure
There is a key difference in the practice of local authorities in Madrid compared to the rest of the country: cases are only increasing in one district do not impose a blockade on the entire city, but only on the specific problem area.
That’s where they close public parks and play areas, and traffic ban from 10pm. This tactic seems to work. Last Friday, the authorities “unblocked” ten of the total of 32 problem areas in the Spanish capital, since epidemiological data had shown a significant improvement in the previous 14 days.
Of course, fear also contributes to the improvement of the epidemiological picture, as pointed out by experts and the media.. “It’s true, and we in our family try to wear the mask almost always and maintain the necessary distances,” says Carlos, a 76-year-old retiree, while enjoying a glass of red wine with his wife Lourdes, 77, in his place. Favourite. where of course they sit outside.
