Madrid mayor decries partying Spaniards as Covid lockdown ends

Calls for restraint as thousands gather to celebrate lifting of nation's six-month state of emergency

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The mayor of Madrid has appealed for people to behave responsibly after thousands of people greeted the end of Spain's six-month state of emergency by taking to the streets of towns and cities across the country in spontaneous celebration.

At the end of October last year, the socialist-led coalition government of the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, declared a state of emergency that included a nationwide overnight curfew, restrictions on travelling between regions and a ban on gatherings of more than six people.