Laurence Dollimore
MADRID is set to be denied entry into Phase 1 of the country’s COVID-19 de-escalation plan amid growing unrest in the region.
However in a press conference from Moncloa this morning, government sources revealed that some restrictions may be lifted that will allow the central region to enter what is being called Phase 0.5.
It comes after it has been unable to keep its infection and death rates low enough, while in the past 24 hours, it has seen the highest regional number of hospitalisations (95).
Catalunya is also unlikely to pass into Phase 1 after counting 151 new cases in the past 24 hours and 59 new deaths (accounting for almost a third of today’s national total).
A further three regions help make up the majority of new infections, with Castilla y Leon counting 99, Madrid 49 and Castilla-La Mancha 48.
It means the top four regions account for 63% of the new cases in the past 24 hours (549).
Despite leading the pack in new COVID-19 incidence, Catalunya – in which several health districts are already in Phase 1 – is asking that Barcelona and its metropolitan area pass into the so-called Phase 0.5.
The newly designated phase, being proposed for Madrid, is expected to see shops open without the need for a private appointment, along with libraries and museums at reduced capacities.
There will be a special press conference this afternoon to reveal which areas will be passing into the next phase.
This includes Malaga and Granada, the only two Andalucian provinces to have been held back in Phase 0 this week.
