Changes

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</ul></div>The downward phase of the COVID-19 pandemic lasted longer than the rising phase, i.e. from 21 March to 30 June 2020. The evolution of the main variables was brought under control after several weeks of strict lockdown, during which only professionals of essential activities were allowed to work and travel. It shall be borne in mind that Spain ranked second in the international context in terms of the amount of COVID-19 cases and the number of deaths from COVID-19 from the end of March to mid-April 2020.

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</ul></div>The effects of the state of alarm and the subsequent lockdown proved effective in deterring the progression of the pandemic in Spain. These public health measures impacted society in many different ways, i.e. from the most obvious ones, such as tempering the negative effects on health and slowing down economic activity, to the more intangible ones, such as the mood of the population.

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</ul></div>By the end of June 2020, these figures had risen to 37,000 in Madrid and 32,000 in Barcelona. Biscay (Bizkaia), Navarre (Navarra), Valencia and Ciudad Real registered figures of around 5,000 cumulative cases during the first half of 2020.

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</ul></div>The evolution in the number of admissions to Intensive Care Units (ICUs) due to COVID-19 peaked on 24 March, when 547 new patients were admitted to ICUs. From this date onwards, figures gradually decreased. On 9 April 2020, 100 admissions were approximately recorded every day. After 9 May, there were less than 10. The spatial patterns registered in the amount of patients admitted to ICUs is opposite to the spatial distribution observed in the total amount of hospital admissions due to COVID-19. The Northwest, the South and Aragón registered from 10 to 15%, whilst the national average stood by 7.6%. The high percentage registered in the province of Las Palmas shall be pointed out, where 23.0-26.9% of the total amount of patients in hospital due to COVID-19 were admitted to ICUs.

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</ul></div>Deaths from COVID-19 registered the highest figures towards the end of March 2020, being 909 the highest amount of deaths registered in one single day. There was a slight drop during the first week of April (between 700 and 800 deaths per day). From 22 April onwards, figures stood below 400. During the first half of May, slightly over 100 deaths were reported every day. From 13 May onwards, figures stood below 100. Towards the end of June 2020 figures were close to ten deaths per day. In absolute terms, the provinces of Madrid and Barcelona registered 7,600 and 5,300 deaths during the first half of 2020. In relative terms, however, the provinces of Castile-La Mancha (Castilla-La Mancha) and the south-east of Castile and León (Castilla y León) registered the highest mortality rates due to COVID-19 (between 100 and 250 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants), whilst the national average stood by 58.9.

{{ANETextoEpigrafe|epigrafe=Downscaling Scheme}}

Seven weeks after the state of alarm coming into force, the Spanish National Government enacted the Downscaling Scheme at the Cabinet Meeting on 28 April 2020. The Ministry of Health published an Order on 3 May 2020 implementing the Downscaling Scheme based on a joint governance decision-making process amongst the National Administration and the Regional Authorities.

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</ul></div>{{ANEAutoria|Autores= Carmen Bentué Martínez, María Caudevilla Lambán, Carlos López Escolano, Raúl Postigo Vidal, María Sebastián López y María Zúñiga Antón}}