Updated 25 October 2020 at 20:54 IST
Spain imposes second state of emergency amid surge in coronavirus cases
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on October 25 declared a second nationwide state of emergency as COVID-19 cases surge in the country.
- World News
- 2 min read
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on October 25 declared a second nationwide state of emergency as COVID-19 cases surge in the country. According to the Associated Press, Sanchez in a televised speech informed that the national emergency will be effective from Sunday night and will be accompanied by a night curfew across the country from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m, exempting the Canary Islands.
The prime minister reportedly said that the 19 regional leaders across Spain are free to make changes to the night curfew timings as long as they are making it stricter. Sanchez further informed that inter-state movement will be limited and gathering of more than six persons will be prohibited in the country. Sanchez said that he would ask the parliament to extend the state of emergency until May 2021.
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What is the state of emergency?
The state of emergency gives extraordinary powers to the Spanish government allowing them to impose restrictions and curb freedoms that are otherwise deemed as basic rights in the constitution. The first state of emergency in Spain was imposed by the government in March as COVID-19 cases in the country and in the region started to surge at unprecedented levels. The restrictions were lifted in June after the coronavirus graph in the country flattened. Last week, the government had imposed an emergency in Madrid forcing local authorities to follow travel restrictions put in place by them.
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Europe has been hit by a second wave of COVID-19 pandemic as the continent has started to report thousands of cases on daily basis again. According to Johns Hopkins University, the five most affected countries in Europe are the Czech Republic, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and France. Several countries in the region have imposed lockdowns and other restrictions in order to block the spread of the virus, which includes Italy, France, and Poland.
(Image Credit: AP)
Published By : Vishal Tiwari
Published On: 25 October 2020 at 20:54 IST