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Madrid announces new restrictions and closed borders over December puente in bid to save Christmas

The Local Spain
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Madrid announces new restrictions and closed borders over December puente in bid to save Christmas
Photo: AFP

Regional authorities in Madrid have announced that the region will close its borders over the extra long December bank holiday weekend to prevent people moving around the country and spreading contagion in the hope that infection rates are reduced enough to allow a freer Christmas.

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The decision follows same measures introduced on the last two bank holiday weekends that of All Saints and Almudena.

The December puente which is known as the Constitution weekend and comprises two public holidays – that of Constitution Day (usually celebrated on December 6 but which has been carried over to Monday December 7 because it falls on a Sunday this year) and the Day  of the Immaculate Conception on December 8– is usually one of the biggest travel periods across Spain.

But this year with so many regions still insisting on closed borders, most of Spain will be confined to their own territories.

Madrid, which is one of the few autonomous communities not to have imposed a blanket region perimetral confinement has announced that its borders will be closed for ten days beginning at midnight on the evening of December 3and ending at midnight on the 13th.

"We ask once again for this effort from the people of Madrid and we ask it because we want to reduce infection rates to secure the best possible conditions for Christmas", explained Madrid's deputy health chief Antonio Zapatero.

The regional government also said that from Monday another six basic healthcare zones would be put under perimeter confinement for a period of at least two weeks.

These are: Vicálvaro-Artilleros (Vicálvaro district)  La Elipa (Ciudad Lineal district),  Nueva Alicante, in Fuenlabrada, La Moraleja, in Alcobendas and two other healthcare zones within Madrid capital which are Cuzco and Castilla-La Nueva.

These join 24 healthcare zones that are already placed under limitations which prevent people going in and out of the designated areas without justifiable cause such as for work, study, medical or administrative appointments.

The map below shows the cumulative incidence rates of cases per 100,000 people over the last 14 days by municiaplity and district within the Madrid region with the darker the colour, the higher the infection rate.

Seven healthcare zones will see the measures lifted on Monday because of a significant improvement in infection rates, announced Elena Andradas, Madrid’s general director of Public Health, on Friday.

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These are Barrio del Puerto and Doctor Tamames both in Coslada district and Pintores in the municipality of Parla. Within Madrid capital itself, Núñez Morgado in Chamartín, Puerta del Ángel in Latina, Villaamil in Tetuan, and El Pardo and Virgen de Begoña in Fuencarral all will see restrictions lifted.

For a map of all the current zones with perimetral restrictions on movement, have a look at the tweet below:

 

 

Madrid now records a cumulative incidence of Covid-19 currently averaging 297.9 cases per 100,000 inhabitants down from a peak of 789 on October 1st and below the national average in Spain which as of November 19th stood at 436.27 cases per 100,000.

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A curfew between midnight and 6am remains in place across the region and social groups are limitied to a maximum of six people. 

 

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