Protesters take to streets in Madrid before partial coronavirus lockdown is extended
- Latest move falls short of a recommendation from Spain’s government that partial lockdown should cover the entire city
- Hundreds gathered outside the Madrid regional parliament in Vallecas to protest against the restrictions
Protesters hit the streets of Madrid against virus restrictions on Sunday, a day before a partial lockdown is extended to more areas of Spain’s capital region try to curb a surge in coronavirus cases.
The city and its surrounding region is at the epicentre of a second wave of infections sweeping Spain.
Covid-19 has already claimed more than 31,000 lives among more than 700,000 cases nationwide, the highest infection rate in the European Union.
Some 850,000 people in 37 mainly densely populated low-income districts in southern Madrid have since September 21 been confined to their neighbourhoods, unable to leave except for work, school or medical reasons – although they are able to move freely within their own areas.
Parks in the affected neighbourhoods are closed and restaurants and other businesses must shut at 10pm in a country with a tradition of eating late in the evening.
The regional government of Madrid, which is responsible for health, will from Monday extend the restrictions to eight more districts home to another 167,000 people.
