The Spanish government said it was ready on Tuesday, October 20 to discuss with the opposition the imposition of a curfew to curb the rise in Covid-19 cases, a measure that the hard-hit region of Madrid could request by the pandemic.
It is an option that "
we will analyze with Madrid and with the other regions
" of the country, competent in public health, declared the Minister of Health Salvador Illa during a press conference.
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France, Belgium, Slovenia and certain Italian regions have announced in recent days the implementation of night curfews in order to force the population to reduce its social activity and thus slow down the rate of contagions.
But in Spain, this decision is complicated to take from a legal point of view, public health falling under the authority of the regions.
Salvador Illa thus estimated that a curfew would require the prior proclamation of a "
state of alert
", an exceptional regime which is equivalent to a state of health emergency.
However, maintaining the state of alert beyond 15 days requires the approval of Parliament, in which the government of Socialist Pedro Sanchez does not have an absolute majority.
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The Popular Party (PP, right-wing opposition), very critical of the state of alert currently in force in Madrid, should therefore make known "
if it is ready to commit to supporting
" this measure, said Salvador Illa. .
The minister was reacting to remarks by the regional government of Madrid, led by the PP, which had mentioned in the morning the possibility of a curfew when the state of alert is lifted on Saturday in the capital.
But "
it would have to be a decision of the central government
", specified the regional head of health, Enrique Ruiz Escudero.
The Sanchez government declared on October 9 a state of alert in the Madrid region for a period of 15 days, in order to impose a partial closure of the capital and neighboring municipalities.
Salvador Illa has confirmed that Pedro Sanchez's government will not try to extend the state of alert in the Madrid region beyond Saturday.
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