On Friday, September 25, the Minister of Health of Spain said that the government intends to re-introduce partial isolation throughout the city of Madrid to limit the spread of coronavirus.

“These are the minimum measures that we must take to control the spread of the virus in the city,” Salvador Illa told reporters.

Spain, one of the countries in Europe most affected by the pandemic. From March to May, its residents spent their lives in strict quarantine. The restrictions began to be lifted in stages and were not fully lifted until June 21. After that, statistics on the number of people affected began to rise.

Madrid’s authorities decided to isolate 45 districts, mostly the poorest, with infection rates exceeding 1,000 cases per 100,000 people.

Illa specified that the Madrid authorities have sole authority to take such measures.

Under the new rules of partial isolation, people will be banned from leaving the city. At the same time, they will be able to leave their homes and go to work and school. The bars will remain open, but with some restrictions.

The number of diagnosed COVID-19 cases in Spain on Thursday exceeded 700,000, the highest in Western Europe. The disease has killed more than 31,000 people.