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Partial lockdowns return to Madrid

New partial lockdown measures started on Monday (September 21) in Madrid as the country battles another surge of coronavirus cases.

The new rules predominantly apply to areas of lower income and with higher immigrant populations.

In Vallecas, Madrid's southern working class district, police set up checkpoints to enforce the new measures.

The area has one of the highest infection rates in the capital, but some residents are not pleased by the localized lockdowns.

They say it discriminates against the poor.

Dozens staged protests outside the regional government headquarters as Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez met with Madrid's regional leader on Monday (September 21).

Authorities in Spain's capital, which accounts for a third of all infections in the country, announced the restrictions in areas where levels exceed 1,000 per 100,000 inhabitants.

In those areas, access to parks and public areas will be restricted, gatherings will be limited to six people, and commercial establishments will have to close by 10 p.m.

Spain has recorded more than 640,000 COVID-19 cases, the highest number in Western Europe. The disease has killed more than 30,000.

The Spanish economy slumped 18.5% in the second quarter.

The country is receiving $166 billion in grants and loans from the EU's coronavirus recovery program.