Authorities Ban All Rallies In Madrid On March 8 Because Of COVID-19 Pandemic - Official

MADRID (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th March, 2021) The Spanish authorities have decided to ban all rallies related to the International Women's Day on March 8 in Madrid and the surrounding areas due to the coronavirus pandemic, the central government delegation in the country's capital said on Thursday.

"After having studied all proposals about holding demonstrations and rallies, the government delegation in the Community of Madrid has decided to ban all that was put forward ... for Sunday, March 7, and Monday, March 8," Jose Manuel Franco, the delegate of the Spanish government.

The official explained that various events, with over 60,000 potential participants in total, had been proposed.

"The Community of Madrid is one of Spain's regions with the highest rates of infection, and there are much more hospitalized people than the national average," Franco added.

The Spanish capital has detected 261 coronavirus cases per 100,000 in the last two weeks, while the country's average is 159.

Last year, thousands of people attended a mass rally on March 8, several days before the government declared a high alert and strict lockdown, with some Spanish and Madrilenian officials diagnosed with the disease afterward. However, the event has never been officially confirmed as one of the principal causes of the disease's rapid spread in the region.

Spain is currently debating restrictions for the upcoming Holy Week in late March and early April when many Spaniards travel to other regions, which may cause another wave in the country.