With the end of the state of alarm set to end on Sunday, many of Spainâs regions â which are in charge of controlling the pandemic in their territories â are increasingly worried about what impact this will have on efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus. For the past six months, the emergency measure has given the regions the authority to introduce restrictions that curb fundamental rights, such as the nighttime curfew, without facing challenges in the courts. But there is concern that could all change on May 9, when the state of alarm comes to an end.
In a bid to ease these fears, the Spanish government â a coalition of the Socialist Party (PSOE) and junior partner Unidas Podemos â has approved a royal decree that gives the Supreme Court the final word on coronavirus restrictions. The new rule, published Wednesday in the Official State Bulletin (BOE), aims to prevent the legal chaos that occurred last year between June and October, when judges from lower courts reached contradictory decisions on coronavirus restrictions affecting fundamental rights. This situation led to confusing situations whereby on the same day a court in Barcelona rejected limiting public and private meetings in LâHospitalet to fewer than 10 people, while another judge in Lleida permitted such a restriction in the area of Segrià .