Madrid cordoned off as Paris faces fresh lockdown
Madrid has reluctantly agreed to come under a city-wide perimeter lockdown after arguing with the national government over measures to control the spread of Covid-19.
It came as Paris faces drastic Covid restrictions as early as Monday, the health minister warned on yesterday, after indicators hit ‘‘maximum alert’’ levels that the government has warned could trigger a fresh clampdown. The row in Madrid has been widely criticised by medics and politicians, who say it has hindered attempts to save lives in Europe’s worst-hit city.
Minutes after Spain’s government published an order yesterday morning, imposing restrictions on Madrid that would see it cordoned off from the rest of the country, the region’s leader threatened to defy the new rules.
‘‘This plan destroys Madrid without any scientific criteria,’’ Isabel Diaz Ayuso, the president of the Madrid region, said in an early-morning radio interview. Later yesterday morning, Diaz Ayuso performed an about-turn, saying her administration would apply the law but she would challenge the government order in court. According to the health ministry order, all regional governments in Spain must stop people entering or leaving any town or city with an incidence of more than 500 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the past two weeks, a positivity rate in tests above 10 per cent, and 35 per cent Covid occupancy of hospital intensive care units.
Exceptions to the mobility ban include commutes to work, necessary family-related journeys and other essential business. Additional restrictions for areas surpassing these limits include a six-person limit on social gatherings, and bars to run table service only at 50 per cent capacity. The city of Madrid and nine towns within the capital region are the only areas in Spain where the criteria would apply.
Experts are concerned that infection has now escaped control, leading to a potentially devastating impact on the local population and the country as a whole because of the high levels of mobility around the capital. Meanwhile in Paris, the threat of a fresh clampdown could see bars close entirely. However, the warning issued last night was heavily caveated. Health authorities and local officials are to study the figures over the weekend, but without improvements fresh restrictions will be imposed next Monday.
Olivier Veran, the health minister, said if the maximum alert level was declared, inhabitants of the Paris area would have to ‘‘restrict social interactions in drastic manner, or at least more than at present – no more family gatherings, soirees and the closure of bars.’’ He also announced ‘‘very worrying’’ indicators in Lille, Lyon, Grenoble, SaintEtienne and Toulouse.
Without a drop in infections, all of these cities could also hit ‘‘maximum alert level’’.
However, he said that thanks to social distancing measures, testing and tracing, there were ‘‘improvements’’ in Nice, Bordeaux and Marseille.
Marseille is the only major city facing draconian measures that kicked in last Saturday and which include a two-week shutdown of bars, cafes and eateries along with venues open to the public.
Paris has a 10pm curfew on bars and restaurants.