Madrid breathes clearer air amid coronavirus lockdown


Reuters | Madrid | Updated: 05-04-2020 20:46 IST | Created: 05-04-2020 20:38 IST
Madrid breathes clearer air amid coronavirus lockdown
  • Country:
  • Spain

The air appears visibly clearer in Madrid since Spain imposed some of the world's strictest measures to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, Reuters video images show. The measures have curbed economic activity including road transport since March 14, when the government implemented an initial 15-day lockdown, later extended to April 12.

Reuters video footage of Madrid's skyline was taken on April 4, 2020, and in 2016. In the images from 2016, buildings including the capital's "four towers" skyscrapers are shrouded in smog, whereas on Saturday, the air appeared considerably clearer. Meanwhile, some of Madrid's major roads have gone from being congested with vehicles to practically deserted.

Under the lockdown, which will now be extended to April 26, people must stay at home and leave only for essential journeys such as to buy food and medicine. All bars, restaurants, and shops are closed. Cities including Madrid, Brussels, Paris, Milan, and Frankfurt showed a reduction in average levels of nitrogen dioxide over March 5-25, compared with the same period last year, according to Sentinel-5 satellite images released last week.

The images, released by the European Space Agency (ESA) and analyzed by the non-profit European Public Health Alliance (EPHA), show the changing density of nitrogen dioxide, which can cause respiratory problems and cancer, like heat maps.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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