Spain on Sunday adopted tougher measures to fight a second coronavirus wave, including a nationwide curfew and the declaration of a new state of emergency.
The government declared the state of emergency for 15 days, and will this week seek its extension for six months in the Senate.
The declaration enables regional governments to adopt further measures such as restricting movement between regions and limiting public and private gatherings to a maximum of six people. The measures adopted by the regions will depend “on the situation of each territory,” the government said in a tweet.
“We are talking with all the parliamentary formations and political parties and we hope that we can count on the largest number of seats to approve this much-needed state of alarm,” said Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in a press conference.
The curfew will run between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. in all of Spain, except in the Canary Islands. Regional governments can modify the start and end time of the curfew.
“What we have to do is limit our mobility, reduce our social relationships,” said Sánchez, calling on Spaniards to show unity against the second wave of the epidemic. “We have to appeal again to that resistance, that social discipline, and that spirit of victory.”
