Agadir \u2013 Spain\u2019s Health Minister M\u00f3nica Garc\u00eda has rejected a call by opposition leader Alberto N\u00fa\u00f1ez Feij\u00f3o to consider confining people with infectious diseases in Ceuta, arguing that such a measure would be unjustified and could worsen the public health situation.<\/p>\n
Feij\u00f3o, leader of the conservative People\u2019s Party (PP), called on the Spanish government to consider health restrictions following the arrival of tens of thousands of migrants in Ceuta at the end of July.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In a statement on X, he said<\/a> that \u201cthe Government should study decreeing the confinement of carriers of infectious and contagious diseases for reasons of public health.\u201d<\/p>\n The proposal came amid concerns over reported cases of tuberculosis, scabies, gastroenteritis, and suspected chickenpox in the enclave.\u00a0<\/p>\n Responding today, Garc\u00eda said that confining the migrant population on public health grounds was not supported by the available evidence.<\/p>\n \u201cDeclaring the confinement of a specific population group, such as all arrivals between the 30th and 31st to Ceuta, seems unjustified and entirely disproportionate if the justification put forward is public health reasons,\u201d Garc\u00eda said<\/a>.<\/p>\n She added that such a measure \u201ccould be counterproductive,\u201d arguing that public health restrictions must correspond to the way diseases are transmitted and that confinement could ultimately cause \u201cmore harm than benefit\u201d to public health.<\/p>\n Minister challenges Feij\u00f3o\u2019s health claims<\/p>\n Garc\u00eda also challenged the health figures cited by Feij\u00f3o, who pointed to tuberculosis, chickenpox, scabies, and gastroenteritis.<\/p>\n Regarding tuberculosis, the minister said three cases had been confirmed<\/a> in Ceuta. According to Garc\u00eda, one person had already arrived while receiving treatment and was not contagious, another had cerebral tuberculosis, which she described as non-contagious, while the third case involved a person who had already been in Ceuta and had been undergoing diagnosis before the recent migration crisis.<\/p>\n