Madrid adopts virus restrictions exposing poor-rich divide

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A woman wearing a face mask to prevent the spread of coronavirus walks in the southern neighbourhood of Vallecas in Madrid, Spain on Monday, September 21. — AP
A woman wearing a face mask to prevent the spread of coronavirus walks in the southern neighbourhood of Vallecas in Madrid, Spain on Monday, September 21. — AP

Heightened restrictions to stem Europe’s fastest coronavirus spread in some of Madrid’s working-class neighbourhoods has brought a heated debate over the prevalence of inequality in Spain back into the spotlight, AP reported.

The measures, including a requirement to justify trips out of the neighbourhoods and reduced occupancy in shops and restaurants, affect some 860,000 residents and have been met with protests because many of those affected feel that authorities are stigmatising the poor.

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