Madrid Faces Further Confinement As Infection Rate Surges
The latest official Covid-19 infection rate figures released by the Ministry of Health,yesterday Thursday, 22nd April show a further increase in Spain to reach 232 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
The figure represents a small increase overall from the 230 per 100,000 reported on Monday.
There are now 7 of Spain´s 17 autonomous communities with an incident rate considered to be over the “extreme risk” threshold of 250 per 100,000 inhabitants.
The Madrid region remains one of the highest, with an infection rate of 398 per 100,000 – nearly 10 times higher than the Valencia regions 40 per 100,000.
Indeed just in the last 24 hours, of the 5,461 new infections reported across the country, 1,962 were in Madrid representing over 35% of the total.
The Madrid regional health authority are expected today to order fresh confinement orders to take effect from Monday, 26th April, in areas which exceed the “extreme risk” threshold.
The region is divided into 286 “basic health zones,” of which the vast majority now exceed this number – some 252 of the total, of which 135 have infection rates above 400 per 100,000 inhabitants.
If the measures are introduced some 88% of the Madrid region´s 6.8 million inhabitants will face mobility restrictions.
Residents within confined “basic health areas” are not permitted to leave unless for a prescribed reason such as going to work, school or other justifiable matter and will require to carry an authorisation form giving the reason.
An interactive map for the Communidad de Madrid showing affected areas as well as downloadable authorisation form is available on the link.
In the capital, the central zones of Cortes (Centre), with 677 cases, Justicia (Centre), with 608 cases, Universidad (Centre) and Gandhi (Ciudad Lineal), 596 cases,Guzmán el Bueno (Chamberí) 592 cases and General Oráa (Salamanca), with 588 cases top the list.
In the wider metropolitan area, Las Matas (Las Rozas) has 641 cases and Las Ciudades(Getafe), has 542 cases.
The situation is worse still in some of the regions municipalities with with some of the highest infection rates on record.
The towns of Navas del Rey ( 1.416 cases), El Boalo ( 809 cases), Valverde de Alcalá ( 803 cases), Cenicientos (785 cases), Santorcaz (778 cases) Valdetorres del Jarama (720 caes and Aldea del Fresno (706 cases) head the list of 101 of the 179 muncipalities with rates over 400 and facing confinement from Monday.
The Madrid regional government has today approved the continuation of the midnight curfew until at least 9th May.
To date Spain has recorded 3,456,886 Covid-19 cases of which 77,496 have been fatal.
The date Spain has received 15,435,285 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine of which 13,909,964 have been administered including 3,768,015 of the all important second dose. – representing 7.9% of the population.
