Covid-19: Catalonia demands that the curfew be reinstated in Barcelona

The regional government of Catalonia demanded Friday August 20 the reinstatement of the night curfew in Barcelona, ​​as well as in several dozen other cities, to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, after being rejected of its request to maintain this measure in this tourist region of northeastern Spain.

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After the decision Thursday of the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia (TSJC), which authorized the maintenance of this curfew between 1:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. only in 19 of the 148 cities for which the request had been filed, the regional executive has filed a new request for the measure to enter into force at least in the most populous places. The new request relates to the reinstatement of this measure in cities of more than 20,000 inhabitants where the incidence rate of the virus has exceeded 125 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last seven days, criteria which would make it possible to include 43 new cities (in more of the 19 where the curfew was maintained by the TSJC).

Among them, Barcelona and the main municipalities of this dynamic region of almost 7.8 million inhabitants, as well as very touristy places on the coast such as Lloret de Mar, Salou or Cambrils.

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" the Catalan government explained in a statement.

The court said it would consider the regional government's request on Monday.

Measures difficult to apply in summer

In the grip of an explosion in the number of cases, especially among young people, not yet vaccinated, Catalonia had reinstated the curfew on much of its territory in mid-July.

But since then the situation has improved and the court considered that this new request for extension was based more on reasons of public order than health reasons.

In the middle of summer, with bars forced to close at 12:30 a.m., many municipalities fail to prevent parties from being held in the alcohol-flowing streets.

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With a cumulative incidence rate of 317.4 cases per 100.00 inhabitants over the last 14 days - the criterion for national measurement - Catalonia is now below the Spanish average (360.56 according to figures released Thursday by the Ministry of Health). However, the occupancy rate of intensive care beds by Covid patients (41.49%) remains twice as high as the national average. Health is the responsibility of regional governments in Spain, but measures affecting freedoms, such as freedom of movement, must be authorized by the courts.