The number of positive cases in Spain increases daily as the COVID-19 spreads throughout the country. Because of this, the Autonomous States have been forced to take different measures to ensure the well-being and safety of their citizens.
This Friday, the Ministry of Health has notified 15,156 new cases of coronavirus, with a total of 1,556,730 positive cases in Spain, and among these, there has been 42,619 deceased.
The worsening of the health situation has led the Government to decree the state of alarm until next May. Almost all the autonomous governments are subjecting their territories to perimeter confinements and to night curfew as an effort to curb the incidence of the virus.
Daily cases of coronavirus in Spain
MADRID
This Friday, the Community of Madrid is now the third Spanish community with lower accumulated incidence in Spain which is very striking as at the end of September was the one with the highest incidence with more than 784 cases per 100,000 habitants.
Among the measures taken, this Autonomous State set a maximum capacity in closed spaces of 60% until July 5, while as of July 6 a new de-escalation phase begins in which the capacity will be 75% and at the same time the clubs will reopen. The pools will not have an occupancy limit, as long as the interpersonal distance can be respected. Additionally, there is a limitation of 20 participants for any group activity.
| MADRID | |
| Confirmed Cases (total) | 339.405 |
| New cases | 1.131 |
| Deceased | 11.201 |
| Accumulated Incidence (last 14 days) | 285,52 |
Daily deaths from coronavirus in Madrid
CASTILLA Y LEON
The most serious epidemiological situation on Spain is in Castilla y León, with 769.6 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days. This autonomous community has established the following restrictions:
- Social gathering with more than 6 personas is not allowed
- Bars must comply with the established conditions regarding limited capacity, the use of a mandatory mask and social distance between individuals.
- Non-federated and outdoor sports can be carried out as long as it does not involve physical contact, while in sports facilities the capacity is limited to 80%.
- Night curfew applied between 22:00 and 6:00
- Perimeter confinement in cities such as Salamanca, León and Palencia
| CASTILLA Y LEON | |
| Confirmed Cases (total) | 114.549 |
| New cases | 23 |
| Deceased | 4.293 |
| Accumulated Incidence (last 14 days) | 769,6 |
Daily deaths from coronavirus in Castilla y Leon
Rest of Europe
Most European countries are right now facing a second wave constraining some countries to take strict measures in order to decrease the spread of the virus. According to the World Health Organization, a “tough” six months lies ahead for Europe, which is again the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic.
The continent has recorded more than 29,000 new Covid-19 deaths last week, but it seems that the new cases are declining as the lockdowns are successfully curbing the rate of infection.
Large part of the infections and deaths registered are from the UK, Russia, France, Spain, Italy and Germany. In Europe, the UK has the highest death toll at 53,870, while France has the highest number of cases at 2,115,717.
Coronavirus cases increasing in European countries in recent weeks
Total cases per 100,000 people by week up to 18 November
| Confirmed cases | Daily cases | Total Deaths | |
| Italy | 1,35 M | 37.239 | 48.569 |
| France | 2,11 M | 22.882 | 48.265 |
| UK | 1,47 M | 20.252 | 54.289 |
| Spain | 1,56 M | 15.156 | 42.619 |
| Germany | 914 K | 23.648 | 13.918 |
| Worldwide | 55.6 M | – | 1.34 M |
In response to this second outbreak of COVID-19, the most affected countries have taken different measures to control the situation:
In Italy the measures are tailored on a regional basis. In the whole territory restaurants and bars are obliged to close at 6:00pm and a curfew varying from 11pm to 00:00am.
France is in its second national lockdown, with people only allowed to leave home to go to work or school, buy essential goods, seek medical help or exercise for one hour a day. Two weeks after the lockdown cases have dropped by half showing the efficiency of this measure.
UK does not allow any indoor social meetings unless they are in their own support bubble. Travel in the UK or overseas is not allowed unless it is for a specific reason like education, work or caring responsibility.
As mentioned previously, the measures in Spain are made by the respective Autonomous States. Most of them have established a night curfew and perimetrical confinement.
There is a partial lockdown in Germany. The aim of this restriction is to limit social life and interactions. Bars, restaurants and gyms are closed. However, schools and shops remain open.
Vaccine
According to the WHO Europe director, Hans Kluge, although the recent progress on vaccines are promising, they still don’t represent a “silver bullet” and it is important to remember that “the supply will be limited particularly at the beginning”. Thus it is important to maintain social distancing and the wear of mask as these are the best ways to mitigate the spread of the virus.
