The administrative court of Madrid overturned the decision of the local authorities, according to which citizens were forbidden to smoke in public places because of the spread of the coronavirus. This is written by the portal 20minutos.
It is reported that it was a question of banning Smoking on open verandas of restaurants in the event that there is no safe distance between people. In addition, restrictions related to the ability to eat in the subway, as well as the opening hours of bars (until one o’clock in the morning) and the closing of night establishments.
The judge ruled that the restriction could not be considered legal because it was imposed on the basis of an order from the Ministry of health that was not officially published. The verdict States that the Autonomous community can restrict human rights only when an emergency is declared. In addition, in this case, the ban on Smoking on the streets was announced orally, and Smoking is not a fundamental right.
Madrid authorities decided to introduce a ban on Smoking in the absence of a safe distance between people on August 14.
In Spain, since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, almost 378 thousand people have been infected. The authorities imposed a strict quarantine, which was later lifted. However, recently, due to the increase in the number of cases in various regions, restrictive measures have been re-introduced.