A month after the epidemic made its appearance in Spain and when the number of those infected already exceeds 4,000, Pedro Sánchez announced this Friday that he decrees the state of alarm throughout the country to combat the coronavirus. It is a constitutional measure, regulated and in accordance with the risk to public health that a pandemic of these characteristics entails. This newspaper has already warned this Friday of the urgent need to resort to the instruments included in the constitutional provisions to stop the spread of the disease. The problem is that this measure is late and bad , considering that the Prime Minister postponed the approval of the decree that develops it to the Council of Ministers this Saturday. It does so forced as a result of the spread of the epidemic, the social unrest unleashed and the taking of more forceful measures - such as the declaration of an emergency in the Basque Country - on an autonomous scale. In just five days, the government has gone from cheering on attendance at the 8-M demonstration - despite the fact that the EU advised against crowds six days before - to asking the population to stay home and limit social contact as much as possible. The state of alert comes, in addition, after Sánchez presented an insufficient shock plan to mitigate the blow that the economy is already noticing. Managing the coronavirus crisis is revealing the shortcomings of an inexperienced and weak coalition executive. The improvisation and incompetence that Sánchez shows increases the uncertainty between a bewildered and frightened citizenry.

The lack of coordination between the State and the autonomous communities is hopeless for citizens

We have repeated in recent days the demand for unity against the coronavirus. This is not an obstacle to critically evaluating the work of an overflowed Executive that sends contradictory signals with little continuity solution. The PP, although it reproached the delay in the adoption of initiatives, guaranteed its support for the declaration of the state of alarm. Sánchez should call a country agreement, reflected in a health State plan and in the preparation of Budgets capable of injecting liquidity and saving productive activity. All this becomes more urgent every day as a consequence of the worsening of the crisis. The World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday declared Europe the epicenter of the pandemic. Spain is, after Italy, the European country with the highest mortality rate, particularly affecting the elderly or those with previous severe pathologies. The Government's forecast is that next week there will be 10,000 affected in our country. Given this situation, and having the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of countries such as China or Italy, the delay in taking measures and the insistence of the latter in downplaying the virulence of the challenge is not understood. Likewise, the lack of coordination between the State and the autonomous communities when taking the appropriate steps is hopeless for citizens. While the Community of Madrid decreed the closure of hospitality establishments, Murcia ordered confinement and Catalonia isolated several towns, a measure of dubious constitutional fit . Sánchez now has the challenge of managing the state of alarm with the efficiency that until now has not been demonstrated. The law allows the Government, with the modulation it deems necessary, to take the reins to restore normality, restrict movements, articulate a single command and make special and temporary use of both public and private resources. If it were extended more than 15 days, it would need the authorization of Congress to extend it, an end assured after Casado confirmed his support. Sánchez has an obligation to be transparent and adopt forceful and determined measures. Only in this way can the spread of the epidemic be halted and, in this way, prevent the collapse of public services.

Political leaders are not forged in prosperity, but in tragedy. Merkel has not downplayed the severity of the coronavirus pandemic and Macron has proposed to the EU to reinforce control of the Schengen area and even close borders in risk areas. Trump declared the national emergency. Sánchez, with a sober message bordering on the sob, addressed the Spanish as "compatriots" but failed to instill confidence in his institutional statement yesterday. Courage and conviction are required, in addition to high doses of political solvency. Spain needs to know that who is in charge is not a president who is behind the events, but a leader who does not hesitate neither to explain to the citizens the reality in all its harshness nor to execute the appropriate measures - however hard they are - under the current legislation.

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