Madrid considering requesting statewide curfew

Citing the example of France, the region seeks Spanish Government's backing

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El conseller de Sanitat de la Comunitat de Madrid, Enrique Ruiz Escudero.

MadridA night curfew is becoming a possible scenario in Spain. While during the first wave there was a general halt to mobility for weeks, there is now talk of restricting mobility just for a few hours, as France has done. Madrid region's health minister, Enrique Ruiz Escudero, informed that the regional administration is considering asking the Spanish government to apply this measure throughout Spain to prevent mobility once the state of alarm is lifted next Saturday. "To do this you have to have legal powers that Madrid does not have. It would have to be a decision taken by the Spanish government. We wouldn't consider it a bad decision" he said to Europa Press. This approach has been suggested by medical associations, he said, and it has been discussed internally with the president of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso.

The Spanish Constitution does not consider curfews. It would have to approved as part of the state of alarm legislation. The Constitution establishes the possibility of "limiting the movement of persons or vehicles at specific times and places, or making it conditional on the fulfilment of certain requirements". If this were the case, the Spanish executive would have to take control of the situation again. Unless the Spanish Minister of Health, Salvador Illa, takes further action, the Madrid region is is threatening to return to the minimum restrictions on mobility in basic health areas that caused the Spanish government to apply the state of emergency.

In Catalonia, the Government has not ruled out a curfew either, which is already in place in France. However, the effect of the latest restrictions needs to be assessed first, according to the Secretary of Health, Marc Ramentol.

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