05/13/2020 16:39 – Updated: 05/13/2020 18:13
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The Government of the Community of Madrid has officially requested the Ministry of Health go to phase 1 of the de-escalation plan. After the frustrated first attempt less than a week ago, the Executive led by Isabel Díaz Ayuso has presented the documentation on Wednesday shortly before 4:00 p.m., as reported in a statement. Madrid formally requests to enter phase 1 on Monday, May 18.
Despite the fact that the deadline set by the ministry for the presentation of these documents ended at 2:00 p.m., Salvador Illa’s portfolio has stressed that they are being flexible with these times. From Madrid they have highlighted the reinforcement of personnel -especially in primary care- and in the monitoring of the virus and suspicious cases. In the documentation sent, an increase in their capacity to perform PCR tests is included, going up to 15,000 per day, but the decrease in the incidence of covid in hospitalizations and healthcare capacity is also highlighted.
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Madrid is one of the regions that was left without going to the next step of the plan, along with parts of Valencia, Andalusia or Castilla-La Mancha, among others. As happened the previous week, it is the communities that process an application, but it is the ministry that has the last word on whether or not to move forward. This Wednesday, the regional vice president, Ignacio Aguado, once again emphasized the importance of changing the rung for the region: “Madrid cannot afford to remain confined”, an idea that he expressed a week ago.
The previous request to change phases on May 11, which was rejected by the ministry, caused tensions within the Madrid Executive. While initially the president had indicated that “Madrid was in no hurry to change phases,” Aguado was betting on advancing last Monday. The tensions reached such a point that the then general director of Public Health of the region, Yolanda Fuentes resigned from her position when opposing this decision. Minutes later, she was replaced by Antonio Zapatero, director of the temporary hospital built in Ifema, who went on to head a newly created vice-ministry.
Madrid is, a priori, one of the destinations that they have it more difficult among those who have requested the change phase again. Catalonia has sent a request for the health regions of Lleida, Girona and central Catalonia (Vic, Manera, Berga) to pass, but leaving Barcelona, its metropolitan area and Vallés (Sabadell and Terrassa) out.
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