Spain hit by second wave of pandemic, Madrid citizens protest new measures

(Patria) - Thousands of demonstrators gathered on Sunday in the most affected areas of Madrid, protesting new restrictions introduced due to the growing infection rate in the capital region.

New measures have banned travel between 37 zones of the capital region, and gatherings are limited to 6 people.

Around 850,000 people live in the most affected areas of Madrid, which is about 13% of the capital's population. They account for a quarter of the confirmed cases of infection in Spain last week.

In Spain, the daily average of new Covid-19 infections on Friday was over 14,000, placing the country at the very top of European countries hit by the second wave of the pandemic.

In Vallecas, a district in southern Madrid with the highest infection rates, demonstrators chanted 'Vallecas is not a ghetto', considering the government's epidemiological measures to be class-based segregation.

Due to the astronomical increase in the infection rate, the Madrid government plans to close parks and gardens in certain parts of the city region, but shops and restaurants will remain open – with limited capacity.

The restrictions, which come into effect on Monday and will remain in force for at least two weeks, apply to zones with more than 1,000 infections per 100,000 inhabitants.

Coronavirus infection rates in Western Europe are now higher than in March when the pandemic was at its peak in that part of the continent, partly due to more widespread testing.

The Director of the World Health Organization for Europe, Dr. Hans Kluge, believes that the number of deaths will increase in October.

In France, too, the number of new infections is rising again, as is the need for hospitalization. The country recorded a record 13,000 new cases on Friday alone.

Gatherings are limited to 10 people in several French cities.

France also records a record daily average of deaths at 123, which is the highest average since May.