The region’s head of government, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, opposed the restrictions, saying they would destroy the region’s economy.
A Madrid court has issued a government decree imposing a partial lockdown on the Spanish capital for the coronavirus and ruled in favor of the Madrid region just before a long weekend holiday.
By order of the Ministry of Health, Madrid regional authorities on Friday prevented residents from leaving the area, including nine satellite cities, without good reason and took other measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 in one of Europe’s worst virus hotspots .
The regional head of government Isabel Diaz Ayuso had spoken out against the order and said it would destroy the economy of the region. She also argued that the ministry had no power to impose such restrictions on a region.
The Madrid Regional Court took their side in its decision on Thursday, describing the restrictions as “interference by the authorities with the fundamental rights of citizens without a legal mandate to support them”.
The restrictions imposed in Madrid, with its typically bustling restaurants and bars, had not yet been fully enforced, as anyone violating the restrictions could not be fined until the court had made its decision. The government can appeal.
Ayuso welcomed the court’s decision, yet urged Madrilenos to stay home for Hispanic Day this coming weekend, which usually results in mass vacation trips across Spain.
She promised on Friday a set of “sensible, fair and balanced” rules would be released, which means that residents of the capital will live in a country where the government will see its gross domestic product (GDP) decline by 11.2 percent in 2020 forecast may face even more restrictions.
“Madrid’s business can’t go on like this … Nobody understands the rules, nobody knows what’s going on,” she said during a televised address.
Under the law, the Spanish government can restrict fundamental rights by imposing a state of emergency, as it did across the country for three months from March. However, it is up to the regions that control health policy to require such action at the local level to scale outside of an emergency.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who described the situation in Madrid as “worrying”, told reporters in Algeria that his government would review the court ruling and decide how to proceed after meeting with the Madrid authorities.
In the two weeks ended October 7, the region had 741 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people, according to the World Health Organization. This makes it Europe’s second densest COVID-19 cluster after Andorra.
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