Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has asked for forgiveness after a close confidante in his Socialist Party has been put under investigation for his alleged participation in a kickback scheme.

People walk by a clothes stall in the Rastro flea market in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 22, 2020. Madrid's ancient and emblematic Rastro flea market reopened Sunday after a contentious eight-month closure because of the COVID-19 pandemic that has walloped the Spanish capital. (AP Photo/Paul White)MADRID – Madrid’s ancient and emblematic Rastro flea market reopened Sunday after a contentious eight-month closure because of the COVID-19 pandemic that has walloped the Spanish capital. But some health workers are unconvinced. “It would have been more useful to fit out those areas, improve the infrastructures we already have and reinforce them with nurses and other health workers,” he said.

A police officer checks a driver's documents at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020. Madrid is on a partial lockdown complying with an order from the Spanish government due to the high COVID-19 cases but determined to fight it in the courts. It is a political thing now more than anything else.”Health experts, however, have been urging Madrid to take stronger action for weeks, but Madrid Health Chief Enrique Ruiz Escudero argued they were unnecessary. The measures were approved by a majority of regional health authorities from Spain’s 19 regions and autonomous cities, with Madrid in the minority against them. Over 32,000 people have died from the virus in Spain, according to the Health Ministry.

People queue for a rapid antigen test for COVID-19 in the southern neighbourhood of Vallecas in Madrid, Spain, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. Nationwide, only Madrid and nine of its suburban towns met the criteria as of Thursday, with a 2-week regional infection rate of 695 cases per 100,000 people, Europe's highest. Confirmed COVID-19 cases have risen steadily nationwide since a state of emergency declared over the pandemic ended in late June. Sánchez handed over control of health systems to regional governments, but they approached summer outbreaks with different strategies and results. According to experts, all numbers understate the true toll of the pandemic due to limited testing and other factors.

The Madrid region’s deputy health chief had said earlier this week that the stricter restrictions would be “selective lockdowns,” but Díaz Ayuso said Friday that she wanted to avoid any mandatory stay-at-home orders. Spain’s Defense Ministry said that the tents were installed “protectively” to triage patients and avoid overcrowded emergency wards. Díaz Ayuso has also been one of the biggest critics of the response to the pandemic by the national government, a left-wing coalition led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. But since then, Díaz Ayuso had been complaining that Sánchez's government wasn't helping enough. After weeks exchanging blame for inaction, Sánchez and Díaz Ayuso have agreed to meet Monday with the only goal of “bending the curve,” both governments announced Friday.