A small mountainous village a short drive north of Madrid lists community spirit as a key factor in remaining COVID-19 free during the pandemic.

Horcajo de la Sierra is located in the Sierra mountain range and just under an hour away from the Spanish capital – the location of one of the worst COVID-19 contagion rates in Europe at one time.

The village with a population of just over 100 residents is still coronavirus free, nine months after the pandemic first hit Spain.

Adrian Manzanares, 27, is Horcajo's mayor and he admits keeping out COVID-19 is a lot easier in a village than in the country's major cities.

"Of course, population density in this village is really small, so that makes things easy when it comes to respecting some recommendations like social distancing," he told CGTN Europe.

"Also, if we suspect there's any chance of being positive, or anyone is at risk, or any confirmed positive cases, it would be easy to inform about it and track any contacts if needed and put all of them in quarantine."

Manzanares even believes Spain's biggest cities could learn from his village's experience.

"I think the sense of community is crucial in order to comply with the measures and be responsible on a daily basis. It's true that for Madrid or Barcelona it is way more complicated to be aware of each and every neighbor in the city but I think it is something that should be adopted so they realize that the individual responsibility affects each and every member of the city," he continued.

Economic fallout of coronavirus

While Horcajo de la Sierra is free from the health effects of the coronavirus, the economic impact of the pandemic has hit hard. Most of its economy is based around hospitality and tourism, two industries that have been badly affected.

Natalia Simova runs the only bar in the village. Much of her business comes from Madrid residents heading there for the weekend and that business came to a standstill during the national lockdown.

But on the upside, the partial lockdown imposed on the capital in October meant many people who would normally travel further away from Madrid for a few days' break came to stay in Horcajo's many rented cottages and apartments.

"Thank god during summer this village and the ones around could recover economically, thanks to the tourists and people who came from Madrid. We were happy that they came and respected us, complying with all the rules, wearing a mask and respecting social distancing, so I'm really happy with the people who came here to visit," she said.

However, with more visitors coming back, many from Madrid with its high level of contagion, the risk of Horcajo recording its first coronavirus case is a real concern.

Local resident Maripaz Bonilla said: "Yes, we are worried that people who come to visit during the weekends might bring the virus here. During the week there are no worries at all but at the weekend we are worried that somebody is carrying it with them."