Madrid and ' Spain' finally join forces against the virus
PM and regional president agree on cooperation committee as Spain reduces selfisolation time to 10 days for those who have no symptoms
AFTER being at loggerheads practically since the pandemic brokeout in Spain, Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso ( PP) and PM Pedro Sánchez ( PSOE) finally met on Monday to agree on specific measures to contain the rapid spreading of new coronavirus in the region during this second wave.
Regional contagion rates have now reached 755 per 100,000 inhabitants ( way above rates recorded in other European capitals) and in some districts now under local lockdown, the rate is above 1,000.
Over the last two weeks more than 50,000 new cases have been detected in the region, a figure above that of entire European countries.
In a meeting preceded by what resembled a international leaders' summit, regional president Isabel Diaz Ayuso and the PM agreed on specific cooperation terms that will attend to some of Madrid's demands, which include army help to enforce mobility restrictions imposed on 37 districts within the region since Monday.
For the same purpose, Sra Ayuso requested the interior ministry deploys an extra 222 National Police and Guardia Civil officers in these districts, mainly located in the south of the city and region.
The region is speeding up
building of a specialised pandemic hospital in Valedebebas district, which is currently 40% finished and is expected to open by November.
Health minsiter Salvador Illa warned that ' very hard weeks' lay ahead for the Madrid region and called for authorities to show ' determination' to bring the contagion rate under control.
Madrid authorities are considering extending the local lockdowns to other districts in forthcoming days and an announcement is expected today ( Friday).
Neighbouring region Castilla y León has requested the government control movements from Madrid to other regions in order to stop the virus from spreading.
Alongside Madrid, the other regional hotspots are now Navarra and La Rioja, where contagion rates are 658 and 460 respectively.
Castilla La Mancha and Castilla y León, both bordering Madrid, also have rates above 300, as do Murcia and Aragón.
The situation in Cataluña has improved in recent weeks and the current rate is 162 cases per 100,000 residents.
Nationwide, the total figure of those who have tested positive for Covid19 since the pandemic began is now above 700,000 with a death toll of more than 31,000 people.
Quarantine reduction
The Ministry of Health has announed an agreement with regional health departments to
reduce the quarantine period for those who have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid19.
Minister Salvador Illa announced that in these cases, those who have not suffered any symptoms in the previous three days can shorten the selfisolation period from 14 to 10 days without having to undergo a test.
Each regional health department must now implement this new rule, but they have the authority to modify it if the contagion rate increases significantly.
Other European countries have recently reduced their obligatory quarantine times to 10 days ( France) and even seven ( Holland) in some cases.