Laurence Dollimore
ANDALUCIA has announced that it will be keeping an eye on the second homes of Madrid residents in its fight against COVID-19.
Junta president Juanma Moreno told press on Tuesday that the region will ‘monitor’ the homes, especially along the Costa del Sol, although he did not explain how.
Large parts of Madrid are currently back under lockdown-like measures, meaning they cannot leave their neighbourhoods unless they have a justified reason to do so.
The extra vigilance by Andalucia is to avoid further outbreaks of coronavirus given that Madrid continues to be the most afflicted region.
However Estepona alone has more than 15,000 second-residence homes, making any ‘monitoring’ task a difficult one.
Meanwhile, the DOM3 Association of Businessmen revealed that many families from Madrid have decided to stay along the coast, following on from their summer holidays, with many registering their children at new schools.
Madrid’s COVID-19 incidence rate is at over 700 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, while Andalucia has one of the lowest at 140.
Moreno added on Tuesday that his government has not ruled out bringing in confinement measures to the most affected areas if coronavirus numbers continue to climb.
Speaking in Ubeda, the Partido Popular leader said the Junta was already preparing a ‘contingency plan’ in case the situation worsens and there is too much pressure on hospitals.
The most likely areas to be confined would be in Malaga and Sevilla, the two hardest hit provinces in Andalucia, collectively accounting for 60% of new cases.
