End of the state of alarm: Thousands of people come out to celebrate the end of the state of alarm shouting "freedom!"

The state of alarm has declined at 00:00 this Sunday, May 9. The pandemic is still present, but thousands of young people have taken to the most central streets of Madrid, Seville and Barcelona to celebrate the end of the restrictions. And there is a unanimous cry among all those who have gathered in the streets: “Freedom!” On November 9, 2020, the second state of alarm decreed by the Pedro Sánchez Government to contain the virus came into force. After the summer, the coronavirus got out of control throughout Spain. As of that day in November, the Government and the autonomous communities could decree curfews, perimeter closures and other measures to control the pandemic. The Executive of Pedro Sánchez has decided not to prolong the state of alarm, leaving it in the hands of the communities the management of their respective regions. Some autonomies such as the Balearic Islands, the Valencian Community or the Canary Islands have obtained judicial support to maintain strict measures in the fight against Covid. Others, such as the Basque Country, have seen how all the proposed measures have been overthrown by the courts. With the end of the state of alarm, most communities can no longer decree curfews, which prevents, as has been seen tonight, that people should go home at 11:00 pm. This new ‘freedom’ has caused that in the most important cities of the country, such as Madrid or Barcelona, thousands of young people have concentrated on beaches, squares and usual leisure areas to celebrate the end of the state of alarm. In Barcelona, the Guardia Urbana and the Mossos play cat and mouse with people who want to meet on beaches and squares to make a bottle, in the case of Seville, where nightlife venues can be open until 02 :00 in the morning, the images have been repeated, with hundreds of people taking advantage of the warm night to go out for a drink.