By Alyssa McMurtry
OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - Lawmakers in Spain are considering shortening the confinement period for those who test positive for COVID-19 even as the Health Ministry announced Tuesday that nearly 100,000 new infections were recorded in the past 24 hours, double the peak of daily infections reached in any previous wave.
The post-Christmas contagion continues to overwhelm Spain's family doctors, who are responsible for monitoring mildly ill patients, approving sick leaves and organizing testing.
Hospitals are increasingly feeling the pressure, though the situation remains manageable.
Currently, there are 9,852 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in Spain. During the peak of the wave last January, nearly 31,000 people were hospitalized for the disease. On Tuesday, 114 more people died.
Despite the exponential growth in the contagion of the omicron variant, more lawmakers are looking toward shortening the confinement period to avoid an avalanche of people missing work.
On Wednesday, regional leaders and the central government will debate following in the footsteps of the US and reducing confinement to five days, according to the Spanish daily El Pais.
“COVID must start being treated differently,” said Madrid premier Isabel Ayuso, pointing to Spain’s high vaccination rate.
Despite the skyrocketing contagion, Madrid and several other parts of Spain have ruled out new restrictions for now.
At the same time, more regions, including the Basque Country, Galicia and La Rioja, announced stricter curbs Tuesday on nightlife.