The curfew in force since the end of December in the Spanish region of Catalonia (north-east) will be lifted on Friday, local authorities announced on Tuesday January 18.
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“
The restrictions on mobility at night will remain in force until January 21. From this date, it will be possible to circulate normally in the streets of Catalonia
“at night, said the spokesperson for the Catalan regional government, Patricia Plaja. “
Even if we have not yet reached the peak
” of contagions, “
the trend clearly shows a slowdown in this sixth wave
”, she added. Since the night of December 23 to 24, it was forbidden to move between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. in the streets of Barcelona and cities with more than 10,000 inhabitants in this very touristic region, populated by 7.7 million inhabitants.
Catalonia, whose incidence rate exceeds the Spanish national average, has the highest occupancy rate of intensive care beds by Covid patients in the country with 44.1% (577 patients), well above the 23.83% nationally. Other health restrictions, such as a 50% gauge in bars and restaurants, the closure of nightclubs or the ban on private meetings beyond ten people, however, remain in force. The health pass, necessary to enter bars or restaurants in particular, also remains relevant in Catalonia, unlike for example in the Madrid region where it has never been implemented.
The number of infections has jumped since December in Spain, which is one of Europe's champions in vaccination with 90.5% of the population over the age of 12 fully vaccinated.
The incidence there is currently one of the highest in Europe.