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People relax at the Retreat. Image: www.imago-images.de
The miracle of the Crown of Madrid: the numbers are falling despite the “highlife”
El Retiro and other parks in Madrid are full of recreational athletes and walkers these days. If you prefer to enjoy the soft autumn sun while having a beer or the popular tiger almond milk drink Horchata, you often have to look for a free table on the terrace for a long time.
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While in many other cities in Spain and Europe, in addition to restaurants, cultural and leisure facilities are sometimes completely closed, you can sit in bars and restaurants in the Spanish capital until midnight. What is surprising is that despite the relatively lush hustle and bustle, the number of infections and other important indicators in the former epicenter of the crown have been falling, in some cases rapidly, for weeks.
At the end of September, when the crown situation was still relatively relaxed elsewhere, the Madrid region, with 813 infections per 100,000 inhabitants in 14 days, still had by far the worst values in Western Europe. This so-called 14-day incidence lasted only 328. The number of cases per 100,000 inhabitants in seven days dropped from Wednesday to Thursday from 161 to 152.
In Spain, of the total of the 17 so-called autonomous communities, only the island regions (the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands), as well as Galicia and Valencia have better values. Such a rapid improvement in the situation as in Madrid is nowhere to be seen. For comparison: in Geneva, the most affected canton in Switzerland, the 14-day incidence is 2495, in Uri it is 547.
Information success or blackout?
The newspaper “El Mundo” and other Spanish media now speak of the Madrid “Miracle”, the “Miracle of Madrid”, because of the trend that persists. The experts are puzzling and do not dare to give specific explanations. What is Madrid doing well? “That is the million dollar question,” says epidemiologist José Jonay Ojeda to “El Mundo.” It is too early to draw conclusions. However, Ojeda agrees with many colleagues that there could be one main reason for success: antigen testing.
Madrid bought five million of these tests at the end of September. Test offensives were launched in problem areas. That was the right decision. This makes it easier, cheaper and faster to diagnose contagious cases. In this way, infected people can be isolated earlier ”, explains Miguel Ángel Royo, spokesman for the Spanish Association of Epidemiologists. Antigen tests are less sensitive than PCR tests. “But very few positive cases are discovered,” says Ojeda.
An artificial Christmas tree is being erected in Puerta del Sol. Image: www.imago-images.de
Other Spanish regions, which, despite tighter restrictions on the virus, simply cannot control it, look at Madrid with a mixture of envy and skepticism. There are doubts, especially in Catalonia with the tourist metropolis of Barcelona, which has always had a great rivalry with Madrid in all areas (from football to business). “We are questioning the optimism in Madrid. It is clear that there is a blackout of information there ”, said the regional minister of health, Marc Ramentol.
Due to the persistent shortage of numbers, all restaurants, bars, cinemas and theaters in Catalonia will be closed until 23 November. The instruction, which has been in effect since October 16, was extended for ten days on Friday. The cordon of the region is also maintained, the cordon of all communities on weekends and the night curfew. Similar strict restrictions also apply in other regions of Spain.
But is Ramentol’s accusation correct? Are the numbers being embellished by the conservative regional government of Madrid? Some experts do not rule out the possibility of problems and delays in the registration of cases here and there, not only in Madrid.
But they emphasize that the situation in hospitals, for example, cannot be ignored. And it always looks better there too. “The lower number of admissions of patients with Covid-19 is a reality,” says Saúl Ares, head of biotechnology at the Supreme Council for Scientific Research (CSIC). In fact: at the beginning of October the number of admissions in Madrid far exceeded 2,500 per day, on Thursday only 238 (out of 316 dismissals) were registered.
Which is the recipe
What sets Madrid apart from other regions? The main difference: it does not cordon off the entire region or entire cities and municipalities and only cordon off smaller districts that have a large number. You can only enter or exit these areas for good reason. The curfew will be brought forward at 10 pm, parks and playgrounds will be closed. Apparently that’s enough: On Friday, 10 of the 32 affected areas were “unblocked” again because the number of infections was cut in half in 14 days.
It has “eggs, better ovaries”: regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso. Image: keystone
The media and experts are also convinced that Madrid residents have become more cautious in the face of the great scare. “Yes, that’s true. Also in our family, people try harder to wear a mask almost always and keep their distance. But there also has to be joy,” said retired Carlos (75) and his wife Lurdes ( 77) with a glass of red wine on the terrace of the traditional “Gijón” café.
The “miracle” delights all Madrilenians, but one woman in particular: Isabel Díaz Ayuso. The regional president had been harshly criticized for months by the central government, the media and colleagues from other regions because of her crown policy. She was accused of impotence and inaction. For many media outlets, she was already “politically dead.” Now the journalist is suddenly seen as the new star and the bearer of hope for the conservative Popular Party (PP).
You have “eggs, better ovaries,” wrote columnist Emilia Landeluca in “El Mundo.” And star TV host Pablo Motos yelled before an audience of millions on Thursday night: “Good thing we have you in Madrid!” (sda / dpa)
