Spain declares virus state of emergency in Madrid

Spain's government declared a state of emergency in Madrid on Friday, wresting control of efforts to fight the spread of COVID-19 from local authorities in a region that is experiencing one of Europe's most significant coronavirus outbreaks.

The step, which took immediate effect and lasts for two weeks, forced Madrid authorities to restore restrictions on travel that had been introduced by the national government but were struck down the previous day by a Madrid court ruling.

That successful legal challenge by Madrid officials was part of a long quarrel between the country's main political parties over their coronavirus response. Those differences, and the changing rules, have often dismayed and confused local residents.

The government announced the state of emergency after a hastily arranged Cabinet meeting in the wake of the court ruling. Health Minister Salvador Illa said the previous measures would come back into force and that only the legal framework for them was changing.

He told a press conference it was "undeniable" that there is community transmission in the Madrid region, not just isolated outbreaks, at a crucial juncture as winter approaches and respiratory problems increase.

"We can cross our arms, or we can stop the virus," Illa said.

The Madrid region's 14-day infection rate of 563 coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents is more than twice Spain's national average of 256 and five times the European average rate of 113 for the week ending September 27.

Illa also said there were nearly 500 people with the virus in the region's intensive care units and that 63 had died last week from COVID-19.

The central government's measures prohibit all nonessential trips in and out of the capital and nine of its suburbs, affecting some 4.8 million people. But many still planned to travel by plane and by car for the long weekend.

Restaurants must close at 11 p.m. and stores at 10 p.m.. Both must limit occupancy to 50% of their capacity.

The national government had ordered police in Madrid to fine people if they left their municipalities without justification. More than 7,000 police officers will now be deployed to ensure the restrictions are observed, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said.

But Madrid's conservative regional government opposed those restrictions, saying they were draconian and hurt the economy claiming their more moderate measures were enough to fight COVID-19.

"It will be hard to understand the application of a state of emergency in our community," said the Madrid regional government health councilor Enrique Ruiz Escudero in a press conference Friday.

A Madrid court on Thursday upheld the regional government's appeal, saying the national government's imposition of restrictions violated people's fundamental liberties.

The spat has taken place against a backdrop of political differences: Spain's national government is led by the center-left Socialist party, while the Madrid region is run by the country's main opposition party, the conservative Popular Party.