Madrid goes under partial lockdown

Hundreds of Spaniards protest localised restrictions as US deaths near 200,000

A million people in and around the Spanish capital were under new “stay-at-home” orders to contain another coronavirus surge, as the US death toll neared 200,000.

But unlike other nations that are tightening curbs to battle outbreaks, India pressed ahead with its measures to kickstart its battered economy, reopening the Taj Mahal and some schools yesterday – despite having the second-highest caseload in the world.

The restrictions in Madrid will last for two weeks starting yesterday, affecting people living mainly in densely populated, low-income neighbourhoods who will be allowed only to travel for essential reasons such as work, medical care or taking children to school.

On Sunday, people took to the streets in some of the affected districts in protest against the new measures.

They sported placards reading “No to a class-based lockdown” or “They’re destroying our district and now they’re locking us up”.

“We think that they are laughing at us a little bit,” said nurse Bethania Perez.

“We will still be able to go to work, and go into other areas that are not under lockdown, where we might be able to raise the infections and also still be vulnerable to infections in our own area.”

Authorities in Spain – among the worst-hit nations in the world – have insisted the step is necessary because virus cases in those districts were much higher than the national average.

Global coronavirus infections are rapidly approaching 31 million, with more than 958,000 deaths.

The United States remains the hardest-hit nation in the world, with more than 6.8 million cases and deaths approaching 200,000.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern moved most of the country to its lowest virus alert setting yesterday, saying the country was edging towards eliminating the Covid-19 pandemic.

The country has recorded just 25 deaths in a population of five million and has been widely praised for its virus response.

In poorer, crisis-hit parts of the world, the pandemic has piled on even more suffering.

In Iraq, tens of thousands of Syiah Muslims participated in the annual mourning ceremonies of Ashura despite the government urging citizens to not attend large gatherings.