Council of Ministers of March 10


The Council of Ministers has addressed a series of measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus that complete the already adopted by the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System.

The Minister of Health, Salvador Illa, has affirmed that the updated data on the incidence of COVID-19 in Spain have forced "this further step" within the current phase of reinforced containment. Currently there are 1,622 positive cases, most of them concentrated in the Community of Madrid (782), in the Basque Country (195) and in La Rioja (144 cases). These two autonomous communities and the cities of Vitoria and Labastida, in Álava, have been classified as having significant transmission.

Salvador Illa explained that two legislative amendments have been proposed to, on the one hand, allow the centralized supply of all kinds of products that experts may consider necessary to combat the disease and, on the other, so that people infected or in isolation preventive, be considered in temporary disability due to professional contingencies.

Travel restrictions and crowded activities

Pool Moncloa / J.M.CuadradoAfter insisting on the general recommendation to avoid trips that are not essential, the minister has reported that there are direct flights from Italy to Spain prohibited from 0 hours on March 11 to 0 hours on 25. The minister has specified that State aircraft, exclusive cargo flights and all positional, humanitarian, medical or emergency flights will continue to be able to fly. They may make stops for non-commercial purposes as long as they do not allow the drop-off of passengers.

Likewise, Imserso's trips have been suspended for the next month. Salvador Illa has stated that the objective is to prevent the displacement of this particularly fragile sector of the population.

The Minister of Health has indicated that, in order to avoid the transfer of large numbers of people and their concentration in the same space, all major professional and non-professional sporting events of national and international competitions will be held behind closed doors. in all Spain. Salvador Illa has explained that other cultural and social events involving a large population movement will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and will be subject to resolution by the autonomous community where they are held.

In the significant transmission areas – Madrid, La Rioja, Vitoria and Labastida – collective activities have also been suspended in closed spaces with a capacity of more than 1,000 people. If these activities take place in spaces with a smaller capacity, they can only be held with a maximum occupancy of one third.

Citizen collaboration and professionalism in the health sector

Salvador Illa has recognized that the approved measures alter the daily lives of individuals and families but has warned that they are absolutely necessary, and therefore, has appealed to the collaboration of citizens for their effectiveness.

The Minister of Health has also thanked the work and commitment of health professionals and staff "who are the first line of combat for this disease." To date, more than 17,500 tests have been carried out to detect the disease, which, he stressed, "highlights the effort being made by public health systems and the National Health System as a whole."

Institutional cooperation

María Jesús Montero and Salvador IllaPool Moncloa / J.M. SquareThe cooperation and coordination between the Government and the autonomous communities, and in turn with the European and international health authorities, has been highlighted both by Salvador Illa and by the Government spokesperson and Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero.

Montero has defined as "keys" the unity, transparency and coordination of public powers. In this line, he stressed, the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, yesterday informed the spokespersons of the political parties and the regional presidents of the situation, and this afternoon he will participate in a monographic Extraordinary European Council, to be held by videoconference.

Sánchez will meet this Thursday with the unions and employers to analyze the crash plan that the Executive is finalizing to alleviate the economic consequences of this situation.

That same day, the Council of Ministers will meet again and, if necessary, take new decisions, always "responding exclusively to technical criteria and scientific evidence," the spokesperson emphasized.

Measures to stop the mortgage evictions of vulnerable groups

The Council of Ministers has approved a Royal Decree-law on urgent measures in the economic field in order to extend protection to vulnerable groups They cannot afford immediate mortgage payments and are at risk of eviction.

The Minister of Finance and government spokesperson, María Jesús Montero, explained that the measure responds to the Government's commitment so that the economic recovery reaches households that are still in a situation of special vulnerability. In this case, the measure affects more than 29,000 families.

Expansion of assumptions to qualify for the moratorium

María Jesús Montero during the press conference after the Council of MinistersPool Moncloa / J.M.CuadradoMontero has specified that the norm approved today extends from two to four years the extension of the suspension of the mortgage rises, so that until 2024 "no vulnerable family will be expelled from their home." Additionally, the definition of vulnerable group is expanded to include single-parent families with one child.

The Government has also decided to adjust the reference income level so that a family is considered vulnerable based on the number of children in the household. In addition, the text provides for the suspension of launches regardless of whether the home is awarded to a bank or to a third party.

Rental market

The minister has advanced that the Executive will take measures to also protect the most vulnerable people in the case of the rental market, within the framework of the reform of the Urban Leasing Law. These initiatives will join those taken in 2019 to regulate eviction procedures.

On the other hand, the Royal Decree-law regulates the regime of causes of dissolution of the Management Company for Assets Coming from Bank Restructuring (SAREB). In addition, it contemplates the possibility that securities companies and payment and electronic money entities may request their transformation into banks.

Personal data protection

María Jesús Montero and Salvador Illa during the press conference after the Council of MinistersPool Moncloa / J.M.CuadradoThe Council of Ministers has approved the Draft Organic Law for the protection of personal data in all the work of prevention, detection, investigation or prosecution of criminal offenses, as well as protection and prevention against threats to public safety.

María Jesús Montero has indicated that one of the main objectives of the preliminary draft is to guarantee full respect for the right to privacy and the principle of proportionality in the treatment of data when these are required for the investigation of crimes and prevention of threats against public security.

The Minister added that a national regulatory framework will be created regarding the treatment of personal data by the competent authorities, mainly police, prosecutors and judicial authorities in the prevention, prosecution and prosecution of crimes. Terrorism and organized crime are expressly excluded in the law, which will continue to be governed by its specific legislation.

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