Prime Minister Sánchez said in an interview on Tuesday that it is "obvious" that people act as vectors for the spread of coronavirus, as was the case in the first weeks after the state of alarm was lifted and there was transmission among seasonal agricultural workers and in nightlife establishments.
He added that "there has been a relaxation among the public in terms of the level of health emergency protection, and this has allowed greater circulation (of the virus)".
Sánchez stated that although coordination has improved, "the levels of tracing and strategic capabilities of some regions have to improve". He did not wish to enter into a debate as to who was responsible, "but the evolution of the pandemic has not been the same in all regions".
The prime minister explained that if an individualised state of alarm is not requested by regional governments, the Spanish government would not declare one "ex officio". "We are already acting, exercising leadership and coordination" with the regional governments in adopting health measures and in making financial resources available to them - an exceptional fund of 16,000 million euros.
He insisted that a generalised state of alarm is not being proposed because the evolution of the pandemic is not the same across the whole country. "A homogeneous state of alarm with equally harsh measures throughout the country would not be justified."
Although the data are similar to those of March and the evolution is pandemic is "worrying", Sánchez stressed that there are also "very important nuances", and he highlighted the improvements in detection capacity, with almost half a million tests per week.