MADRID, Spain – Three weeks after the mass entry of migrants into Ceuta, overcrowded and unsanitary conditions in which some remain in the autonomous city have led to an increase in diseases including tuberculosis, gastroenteritis, and scabies, prompting opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo to demand that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez order the confinement of those with contagious illnesses. In a message posted on social media, the Popular Party leader stated that the government should study declaring a confinement of carriers of infectious diseases for public health reasons, following discussions with the presidents of the medical and nursing colleges in the autonomous city, who informed him of cases of tuberculosis, scabies, more than 450 cases of gastroenteritis, and some cases of chickenpox.
Around ten scabies cases detected among military personnel deployed to Ceuta
Feijóo warned that these are infectious diseases that could have a significant impact on the population, noting that scabies has already affected military personnel, and argued that with thousands of people wandering through the streets, beaches, hills, and ravines of Ceuta without shelter, attention, and in unsanitary conditions, the risk of infectious diseases is evident and requires action according to public health parameters. He criticised Health Minister Mónica García for having taken 17 days to visit Ceuta, stating that he would be incapable of being on holiday when part of the country is in such a situation, and expressed his rejection of the reception of migrant minors ahead of the upcoming Sectoral Conference on Childhood and Adolescence.
Feijóo insisted that Spain and Morocco must agree on the return and repatriation of all minors who entered the country through this invasion procedure, arguing for accelerating repatriation so they can return to their families, or if families are unknown, placing them under the authority of Moroccan child protection authorities. He highlighted that Interior, Foreign, and Defence ministers had promised to return all migrants who entered Spain illegally and questioned what had changed, accusing the government of incompetence and internal conflict over the management of the crisis.
💢 Feijóo reclama a Sánchez decretar el confinamiento en Ceuta por "riesgo sanitario" ante los casos de sarna y tuberculosis en inmigrantes.
— okdiario.com (@okdiario) August 23, 2026
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The opposition leader called for all necessary foreign units to be transferred to Ceuta so that repatriation files could be processed in three shifts, morning, afternoon, and night, arguing that with thousands of people on the streets and public order and health problems, returns cannot be processed as if they were an ordinary situation. He maintained that the urgent return and repatriation of Moroccan adults and minors who entered Spain constitutes a case of urgency and emergency, and rejected the government’s claim that returning minors is illegal, insisting that the PP’s proposal is in accordance with European and Spanish legislation and that the procedure must be complied with urgently.
Sánchez remains absent during Ceuta crisis as seven ministers sent to give explanations
Feijóo also expressed concern that the Ceuta crisis could embolden Vox but emphasised his greater concern about the humiliation of the country, the low reputation of the Spanish government with its allies, and the failure to adequately protect Ceuta residents and women who are afraid to go out on the streets. He reiterated that the PP would not fall into the trap of focusing a matter of territorial integrity and national sovereignty on the government’s confrontation with the regions using minors, and stressed that Morocco has expressed willingness to receive national minors, questioning why this cannot be done. On the issue of the 2030 World Cup final, Feijóo defended that the match should be played in Spain, arguing that Spain is the main host, the current leading football power, and has accredited logistical capacity in sporting events.
