Briefing
Spain’s Health Minister Mónica García publicly rejected on 23 August 2026 the demand by opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo, for Ceuta to order confinement on the grounds of an alleged “health risk”. In a press statement and a social media post, García made clear that responsibility for public health measures in the autonomous city lies with the local authorities, and that the available epidemiological data do not justify a blanket Confinamiento .
The Ministerio de Sanidad reports that individual cases of tuberculosis and varicella, as well as occasional outbreaks of skin conditions such as Sarna have been recorded in Ceuta in recent weeks; however, in the cases officially reported, these have not all been infectious forms requiring large-scale containment of the group concerned. Health authorities and independent epidemiologists have also pointed out that, in the current context, the main risk of infectious disease outbreaks is severe Hacinamiento and inadequate hygiene, not people’s mere place of origin.
García stressed that blanket confinement would not only be medically unnecessary but epidemiologically counterproductive, as it could deter people from seeking healthcare and thereby delay diagnoses and preventive measures. Instead of general confinement, the ministry is calling for stronger local health and prevention capacity, targeted examination of suspected cases, and care and accommodation for refugees in hygienically appropriate conditions.
Professional associations and healthcare representatives in Ceuta have issued similar warnings: stigmatising measures would make infectious diseases harder to control. Feijóo’s demands, as documented by journalists, refer to reports of individual cases of scabies and tuberculosis, but verifiable sources suggest that a broad restriction on freedom of movement is currently unjustified on health grounds.
Editor: Clara Simonichek (Article created with AI assistance).