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MAP: Which areas of Madrid have new restrictions?

Madrid announced new restrictions imposed on the worst hit districts of the region.

Published: 18 September 2020 19:55 CEST
MAP: Which areas of Madrid have new restrictions?
The deeper the purple, the higher the number of cases. Map: Comunidad de Madrid

The regional government of the Comunidad de Madrid have announced new restrictions on those  “Zonas Básicas de Salud” that are the hardest hit by the coronavirus.

LATEST: Madrid region imposes partial lockdown on worst hit zones of capital


Regional leader Isabel Diaz Ayuso announced the measures on Friday afternoon. 

 

But even if you live in Madrid you may be wondering what a  Zonas Básicas de Salud is and how you find out which one you live in.

These are designated areas determined by the regional health authorities and you can find out where they are by exploring the map produced by the Madrid government below.

No easy to read map has been produced by authorites as yet but if you locate where you live and examine the data you can find out whether the accumulative incident rate of new cases over the last 14 days is over 1,000 per 100,000 inhabitants. 

In Spanish this is called the “Tasa de incidencia acumulada de los últimos 14 días”.
 
If it is then you are likely to be within the “quarantine zone”.
 
Click on the interactive map below and hover over the area you want to check and a box will appear with all the latest epidemiological information.
 
 
 
 
The deeper the colour purple, the higher the incidence rate.
 
 
The figure circled here in blue is the one you need to look out for and if it is over 1,000 per 100,000 then the “health zone” will likely be a restricted area, although there are five zones which appear to be above the limit but are not included among the confined areas. These are  Doctor Trueta, Las Fronteras, Lavapiés, Miguel Servet and Sierra de Guadarrama.
 
On the other hand three zones (Francia, Las Margaritas y Sánchez Morate) that have been added to the restricted list have an incidence rate just below the 1000 cases per 100,000 people threshold. 
 
 
You can also look at these interactive maps produced by Spanish newspaper, El Diario where the first map clearly shows in red, the areas with confinement perimetres. 
 
 
If you find lists easier to navigate than maps and are confident you  know which health zone you fall under then here is a list of those areas that have the new restrictions imposed: 

Carabanchel: Puerta Bonita, Vista Alegre and Guayaba.

Usera: Almendrales, Las Calesas, Zofío, Orcasur and San Fermín.

Villaverde: San Andrés, San Cristóbal, El Espinillo and Los Rosales.

Villa de Vallecas

Puente de Vallecas: Entrevías, Martínez de la Riva, San Diego, Numancia, Peña Prieta, Pozo del Tío Raimundo, Ángela Uriarte, Alcalá de Guadaira and Federica Montseny.

Ciudad Lineal: Doctor Cirajas, Ghandi, Daroca and La Elipa.

Fuenlabrada: Alicante, Cuzco and Francia.

Parla: San Blas and Isabel II.

Getafe: Las Margaritas and Sánchez Morate;

San Sebastián de los Reyes: Reyes Católicos.

Alcobendas: Chopera and Miraflores.

And the municipalities of Humanes de Madrid and Moraleja de Enmedio.

What are the new restrictions? 

If you live within one of the restricted “basic health zones”  then you will as of Monday only be allowed to leave the zone to go to work, seek medical care or take their children to school or because of a “force majuere”.

All bars and restaurants will have to reduce their capacity by 50 percent, parks and public spaces will be closed.

Residents of the areas affected will be allowed to move around freely inside their zone but no one from outside will be allowed in.

Meetings across the whole of the Madrid region have, from Monday, been reduced to six people down from the current 10. 

How long will they last? 

Restrictions would be in place from Monday, said Regional President Isabel Diaz Ayuso who added that they would be in place for at least 14 days. 

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HEALTH

Respiratory infections soar in Spain over Christmas as hospitals struggle

Cases of viral respiratory infections such as flu, Covid and bronchitis have shot up over the past few weeks in Spain, putting an enormous strain on hospitals across the country and causing a severe lack of beds.

Published: 4 January 2024 12:33 CET
Respiratory infections soar in Spain over Christmas as hospitals struggle

Winter colds and flu are common, but this year Spain has seen a spike in cases of three different viruses – flu, Covid and bronchitis at the same time.

This comes after the festive and New Year period with lots of family gatherings and meetings with friends without much thought for social distancing days of the pandemic.

Rise in cases

According to health services, there are 35 percent more cases of these infections than a year ago, a percentage that is expected to continue rising until the third week of January when the epidemic peak will be reached after more gatherings for Three Kings’ Day on January 5th and 6th.

In a period of seven days, the rates of flu have gone from 532 to 908 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The cases of Covid have also grown from 12.6 percent to 13.6 percent.

The Health Minister, Monica García has published a message on social media reminding the public of the importance of getting vaccinated and maintaining prevention measures, such as ventilating rooms, washing hands and wearing a mask.

The head of the Emergency Department at the Reina Sofía University Hospital in Murcia, explained that the profile of these patients ranges “from young people with flu pathologies who go to the emergency room because health centres have delayed their appointments and people over 80 years old with pneumonia due to the flu who end up being admitted”.

Lack of hospital beds

According to the first vice president of the Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine (SEMES), Pascual Piñera, 10 of patients with these infections end up admitted to hospital overnight and one of the biggest problems staff are facing is the severe lack of beds, “They have nowhere to put the sick”, he explained.

The situation is the same all over the country. Red Workers union of the La Paz University Hospital in Madrid has reported that there are 105 patients pending admission and beds in the hallways are in double rows, “which cannot be evacuated if the patient worsens or there is a fire”.

Delays in primary health care 

Acute respiratory infections not only put a strain on hospitals and emergency rooms, but also primary care centres, causing delays and long waiting times for appointments. 

The spokesperson for the Federation of Associations for the Defence of Public Health (FADSP), Marciano Sánchez Bayle, explains that it is generating a “major traffic jam” in the healthcare system “where appointments are made for very late dates”.

Sánchez Bayle cites the case of the Community of Madrid, where he knows that appointments requested in December were not given until the end of January “which further clogs an already saturated system”. 

The need for greater vaccination rates 

Besides the festive period, many health professionals believe that the situation could be improved if more people were getting vaccinated, specifically against the flu. 

Flu vaccination in Spain is far below the WHO recommendations, hovering around 50 percent of the population at risk, when the goal is 75 percent. And the percentage is even lower in the case of children under five.

According to the Ministry of Health, the objectives for vaccination against flu and Covid-19 for the 2023-2024 season are to achieve or exceed vaccination coverage of 75 percent in older people and health workers, as well as 60 percent for pregnant women and people with at-risk conditions.

Amós García Rojas from Spain’s Vaccinology Association believes that after a few years without flu during the Covid pandemic, society has relaxed.

The vaccination campaign has not yet ended, so there’s still time to get yours before the end of the season. The campaign began on October 15th and ends on January 31st. 

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