Madrid region mulls curfew to curb coronavirus contagion

The Madrid region is evaluating whether a curfew would be needed in Spain's capital city to curb a new wave of coronavirus contagion in one of Europe's hotspots, the region's top health official said on Tuesday.

"The curfew would allow ... that at some hours there's no mobility, like France has done for example," Enrique Ruiz Escudero said on Tuesday in an interview with Spanish news agency Europa Press.

French President Emmanuel Macron last week ordered a nightly curfew in Paris and eight other major cities. It runs from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Escudero said Madrid's regional authorities do not have the prerogatives to enforce a curfew, adding that they would have to ask the central government to pass the measure.