The president of the Region of Murcia, Fernando López Miras, has appeared tonight to announce that, after the videoconference with Pedro Sánchez, has signed an order forcing the “total closure of the Region, except for minimum services”.
The cessation affects all those activities that are not essential for the subsistence and supply of the population. “It will not affect sectors such as freight transport, food, pharmacies and the agri-food or energy industries. Gas stations, insurers, banks, post offices and the media, as well as the activity of the sector, are also considered essential services. primary, “said the president.
However, the order cannot execute it due to the alarm status. Therefore, it asks the central government, “the Minister of Health and the competent authority” to implement it with its means.
The response of the ministry was immediate. In a brief note, the Ministry of Health recalls that an order of these characteristics can only be given by the competent authority, in this case the Minister of Health, as delegated authority by virtue of the declaration of the State of alarm.
And he adds: “The government of Spain follows the WHO recommendations at all times and reiterates that it has adopted the most drastic measures in Europe and the most stringent worldwide to defeat the coronavirus”
It ends by calling “once again” for unity of action between administrations.
The President of Murcia and his government insist that what they have done is “legally supported”.
“We are facing a unique situation, there is a state of alarm, but the autonomies are not suspended, nor has our Public Health Law been repealed,” said the president, who points out that “with those two legal supports to support us we have sufficient reports that appeal to total closure except essential activity “-
López Miras states in article 4.3 of the Alarm Decree that the communities “may urge the competent authority to carry out the actions they deem necessary”. Therefore, “after numerous consultations with the legal services during the afternoon”, he has made this decision so that “the suspension of non-essential activity in the Region of Murcia is carried out.”
He said that “it is time to take this courageous step” because “I am not willing to lose more human lives and we are in time to stop them.” Murcia has added this afternoon its third deceased.
If the national government does not respond to Murcia’s request, López Miras has said that he is preparing “new measures to restrict all activity as much as possible and avoid further contagion.”
The closure decision, he said, has been agreed with the social agents and, for example, has indicated that from tomorrow all the hotels in the region are made available to Health.
The president of the Region of Murcia has also announced the purchase of 5 million masks to fight the expansion of the coronavirus, but regrets that the Region, “and thus I have transferred it to President Sánchez, urgently needs 8,000 Covid-19 diagnostic kits and another 40,000 rapid diagnosis“as well as 100 respirators, among other essential material.
Most of the regional presidents have demanded during the afternoon of Sunday the chief executive, Pedro Sánchez, to send them as soon as possible more sanitary material to face the coronavirus crisis and the necessary tests to diagnose the disease. This afternoon the Ministry of Health issued a note stating that it distributed a total of 1,602,800 masks for patients and healthcare professionals over the weekend, more than 50,000 for Murcia.
Sánchez’s request to the Autonomous Communities and his measures
The chief executive has asked the regional presidents to maintain unity in the face of the coronavirus emergency situation. Sánchez, who has once again warned of the arrival of “hard” days, will request the authorization of Congress to extend the period of confinement, which will last until Easter. The Prime Minister reinforces the role of the Army and places the private nursing homes in charge of the autonomous communities
President Sánchez told them this morning that he continues to work to solve the demands of the entire society. These are some measures that it has announced:
- The autonomous communities will take care of all the private nursing homes. Public residences will also have resources from private ones.
- Apply general restrictions to travel for one month. There will be a temporary restriction on all non-essential travel outside of Europe for 30 days.
- The Armed Forces will expand their actions in the transfer of patients, protecting critical infrastructures and supporting the transport of medical equipment and connections with the islands.
- Establish a home delivery service for people from risk groups.
- The establishment of a strategic stock of medical devices will be guaranteed so that those most affected can receive help.
- Extend the alarm status 15 days until April 11.
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