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.