Barcelona To Reimpose Curfew To Fight Virus Surge

Barcelona, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Jul, 2021 ) :Barcelona and other cities in northeastern Spain will reimpose a night-time curfew starting this weekend to fight a surge in virus cases after the measure won court approval on Friday.

The curfew is intended to discourage social gatherings on beaches and in parks to curb a spike in cases of the highly-contagious Delta variant, especially among unvaccinated young people.

Catalonia's regional government asked the courts this week for permission to restore a nightly curfew between 1:00 am and 6:00 am in areas where infection rates surpass 400 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over a seven-day period.

The top court in the northeastern region on Friday approved the move, which will affect 161 municipalities, including popular beach resorts like Sitges, Salou and Lloret de Mar.

"It is a difficult measure, but we must stop the infections, protect lives and the health system. It will take effect tonight," Catalonia's regional head Pere Aragones tweeted after the court ruling.

The curfew will be in place until July 23 although the Catalan government can ask to extend it.

Given the "absurdity" of Catalonia's epidemiological situation, the curfew will likely have to be extended for several weeks, the court said.