Regional court quashes Madrid partial lockdown order, claiming it is ‘harmful to basic rights’

On Thursday, the Superior Court of Justice of Madrid struck down a citywide lockdown order placed on the Spanish capital by Minister of Health, Salvador Illa. The restrictions had been in place since last Friday.

The Madrid court quashed the minister’s order on the grounds that it would affect the fundamental rights and freedoms of Madrilenians and that the Ministry of Health had overreached its legal remit. The court ruled that the national health system law “does not contain a legal authorization for the establishment of restrictive measures on fundamental rights.”

The partial lockdown on the city and nine satellite towns had been introduced last Friday and barred citizens from leaving their homes, with the exception of essential journeys.

As a consequence of Thursday’s decision, fines cannot be given to citizens who break the rules and the future of the restrictions is now in question, as the matter will now be referred to the national high court. 

Madrid has the highest coronavirus rate per capita out of the EU’s 27 capital cities, with 850 coronavirus infections per 100,000 people. Spain is also considered the most afflicted nation in Europe by the second wave of coronavirus, having registered a total of 835.901 cases and 32.562 fatalities.

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