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MADRID

Madrid imposes new restrictions in bid to halt coronavirus third wave

Madrid has seen infections soar since the holidays with regional authorities announcing new confinement restrictions on 23 basic healthcare zones and nine municipalities across the Community from Monday.

Published: 8 January 2021 18:17 CET
Madrid imposes new restrictions in bid to halt coronavirus third wave
Photo: AFP

The new restrictions will come into force at midnight on Sunday night and last until at least midnight on Sunday January 24th.

Restrictions were already in place in 18 healthcare zones and 5 municipalities across the region and will remain so for at least two weeks until January 18th.

This means that residents are confined in a total of 41 healthcare zones and 14 municpalities across the Madrid region affecting more than 1.2 million people.

Check this interactive map to discover which zones in Madrid are under new restrictions:

The number of new cases in Madrid is once again rising as this next chart shows: 

 

These are the zones within Madrid City limits that are under restrictions: 

And these: 

 

Madrid authorities have been attempting to control the spread of coronavirus by isolating residents within Zonas Básicas de Salud, designated areas determined by the regional health authorities, when the cumulative incidence rate reaches dangerous levels. 

If you locate where you live and examine the data you can find out whether the cumulative incident rate of new cases over the last 14 days. 

In Spanish this is called the “Tasa de incidencia acumulada de los últimos 14 días”.
 
If it is over 400 cases per 100,000 people then you are likely to be within the “quarantine zone”.
 
Click on the interactive map below and hover over the area you want to check and a box will appear with all the latest epidemiological information.
 
 
The deeper the colour purple, the higher the incidence rate.

What are the restrictions? 

If you live within one of the restricted “basic health zones”  then you will as of Monday only be allowed to leave the zone to go to work, seek medical care or take their children to school or because of a “force majuere”.

All bars and restaurants will have to reduce their capacity by 50 percent, children's playgrounds will be closed.

Residents of the areas affected will be allowed to move around freely inside their zone but no one from outside will be allowed in.

As well as the measures in place in these restricted heathcare zones, Madrid has a curfew in place from midnight to 6am and meetings are limited to groups of 6.

How will the new restrictions be policed?

Local police officers, supported by the National Police and the Civil Guard, will be in place to ensure that residents of the affected areas respect the rules.

Anyone caught in breach of the new restrictions could face a fine of between €60 and €600 for a minor infraction and up to €600,000 for a serious one.

Madrid's director of public health, Elena Andradas said on Friday that authorities are looking are ways to make the limits of confined zones clearer perhaps with markers on the street.

 

New rules

Basically, you must stay within your restricted zone unless you have to travel outside it for work, study, or take your children to school. You can also leave if you have to visit dependents or if you need to seek medical attention or attend a legal or administrative appointment.

Shops and restaurants will remain open but at half the capacity that they are normally allowed and they must shut by midnight allowing last people in by 11pm..

All social groups must not exceed six people and that is across the whole of the region of Madrid,  not just the restricted areas.

Plus the within restricted zones parks and public spaces such as childrens playgrounds are closed.

Cinemas, theatres, libraries and sports centres will remain open but with a limited capacity.

Home delivery is allowed.

Permits

People who need to exit or enter a restricted zone must carry a form which they can download from the internet and fill out in order to justify their trip. These must be carried at all times and shown if required when stopped by police at the checkpoints.

They will have to fill out with ID number, address, place of work and reason for movement and must be signed by one's employer. 

They can be downloaded HERE.

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HEALTH

Respiratory infections soar in Spain over Christmas as hospitals struggle

Cases of viral respiratory infections such as flu, Covid and bronchitis have shot up over the past few weeks in Spain, putting an enormous strain on hospitals across the country and causing a severe lack of beds.

Published: 4 January 2024 12:33 CET
Respiratory infections soar in Spain over Christmas as hospitals struggle

Winter colds and flu are common, but this year Spain has seen a spike in cases of three different viruses – flu, Covid and bronchitis at the same time.

This comes after the festive and New Year period with lots of family gatherings and meetings with friends without much thought for social distancing days of the pandemic.

Rise in cases

According to health services, there are 35 percent more cases of these infections than a year ago, a percentage that is expected to continue rising until the third week of January when the epidemic peak will be reached after more gatherings for Three Kings’ Day on January 5th and 6th.

In a period of seven days, the rates of flu have gone from 532 to 908 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The cases of Covid have also grown from 12.6 percent to 13.6 percent.

The Health Minister, Monica García has published a message on social media reminding the public of the importance of getting vaccinated and maintaining prevention measures, such as ventilating rooms, washing hands and wearing a mask.

The head of the Emergency Department at the Reina Sofía University Hospital in Murcia, explained that the profile of these patients ranges “from young people with flu pathologies who go to the emergency room because health centres have delayed their appointments and people over 80 years old with pneumonia due to the flu who end up being admitted”.

Lack of hospital beds

According to the first vice president of the Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine (SEMES), Pascual Piñera, 10 of patients with these infections end up admitted to hospital overnight and one of the biggest problems staff are facing is the severe lack of beds, “They have nowhere to put the sick”, he explained.

The situation is the same all over the country. Red Workers union of the La Paz University Hospital in Madrid has reported that there are 105 patients pending admission and beds in the hallways are in double rows, “which cannot be evacuated if the patient worsens or there is a fire”.

Delays in primary health care 

Acute respiratory infections not only put a strain on hospitals and emergency rooms, but also primary care centres, causing delays and long waiting times for appointments. 

The spokesperson for the Federation of Associations for the Defence of Public Health (FADSP), Marciano Sánchez Bayle, explains that it is generating a “major traffic jam” in the healthcare system “where appointments are made for very late dates”.

Sánchez Bayle cites the case of the Community of Madrid, where he knows that appointments requested in December were not given until the end of January “which further clogs an already saturated system”. 

The need for greater vaccination rates 

Besides the festive period, many health professionals believe that the situation could be improved if more people were getting vaccinated, specifically against the flu. 

Flu vaccination in Spain is far below the WHO recommendations, hovering around 50 percent of the population at risk, when the goal is 75 percent. And the percentage is even lower in the case of children under five.

According to the Ministry of Health, the objectives for vaccination against flu and Covid-19 for the 2023-2024 season are to achieve or exceed vaccination coverage of 75 percent in older people and health workers, as well as 60 percent for pregnant women and people with at-risk conditions.

Amós García Rojas from Spain’s Vaccinology Association believes that after a few years without flu during the Covid pandemic, society has relaxed.

The vaccination campaign has not yet ended, so there’s still time to get yours before the end of the season. The campaign began on October 15th and ends on January 31st. 

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