Clashes over new virus restrictions played out in Madrid last week as local health officials refused to comply with new guidelines recommended by the country’s central government, according to reports.
The health system in Spain is unique in that each of the country’s 17 regional governments has its own health care system, according to the Financial Times. These local officials have said they would not adhere to Spain’s Health Minister’s Salvador Illa’s urging and enforce new virus mandates to help stop the transmission rate.
“There is a serious risk for inhabitants, for the neighboring regions,” Illa said, according to the BBC. He said he wants local authorities to “put the health of citizens first.”
These local officials question the wisdom of the lockdown mandates and their effectiveness.
Antonio Zapatero, a top local health official, told the FT there have been no major developments that require a new approach to fight the virus. He said officials in Madrid are going to focus on antigen tests and adhere to the current guidelines.
Zapatero said it is important for residents to consider staying home when they can, but he said the decision to lock down needs to be based on “technical criteria.”
“If decisions need to be taken, Madrid will take them,” he said, according to the Associated Press.
Dr. Mike Ryan, Head of the WHO’s emergencies team, said these countries have seen a “worrying” increase of the virus but called lockdowns the option of “last resort.”
“And to think that we’re back in last-resort territory in September, that’s a pretty sobering thought,” he said, according to the report.
TRENDPOST: As we have reported, Spain was among the early Western nations to impose the strictest lockdowns beginning in March. Yet, totally ignored in the FT article and most others is the fact that Sweden did not lock down its people nor its economy, and its virus infection rate is minimal compared to Spain.
Moreover, there is panic in the Spanish streets as its GDP plummets, unemployment spikes, and the once tourist-rich destination suffered a tourist-less summer.
While Spain is in a lockdown battle, its virus death rate is minor compared to New York State. With 46.76 million people and 33,229 virus deaths, it accounts for 0.0672 percent of its population. This compares to New York State with 19.5 million people and 33,229 virus victims or 0.1704 percent of the state’s population.
But numbers don’t count. Spain, with a population 2.4 times the size of New York, has 1,818 less COVID deaths! Yet, New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo has been knighted a COVID War hero by the press and the people.
Despite its low death rate, the Spanish government, as have most of those in the world, continue draconian lockdown measures to fight a virus that is low risk to the vast majority of the world’s population.
