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COVID-19

Court approves extension of nighttime curfew in Spain’s Catalonia to curb Covid infections

Catalonia on Thursday extended for a second time a nighttime curfew that was imposed in the region to fight a Covid-19 surge.

Published: 29 July 2021 17:45 CEST
Court approves extension of nighttime curfew in Spain's Catalonia to curb Covid infections
A police officer asks a couple enjoying a night out to leave as a curfew comes into effect in the Born neighbourhood of Barcelona. (Photo by Josep LAGO / AFP)

A court in Catalonia approved the regional government’s request to extend the nightly curfew between 1:00 am and 6:00 am in 163 municipalities including Barcelona and popular beach resorts like Sitges and Salou.

The measure was imposed in the northwestern region bordering France in mid-July and this is the second time that it is extended.

Catalonia has Spain’s highest Covid-19 incidence rate. Before imposing the curfew, the region had instituted other virus restrictions such as limiting gatherings in public and private to 10 people.

The surge in infections has put pressure on Catalonia’s hospitals, with 45 percent of the region’s hospital beds occupied by Covid-19 patients, compared to 17 percent nationally.

Several other regions, including Andalusia in the south and the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, have also moved recently to reimpose limits on nightlife to fight a rise in infections driven by the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus.

Spain’s infection rate per 100,000 population over 14 days stabilised on Wednesday at nearly 700, a level about five times higher than it was a month ago. In hard-hit Catalonia it stands above 1,000.

“We have started to see a certain stabilisation in the infection curve,” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Thursday.

Spain’s vaccination rollout has gathered speed and the country has one of Europe’s highest Covid-19 immunisation rates, with 66 per cent of its population having had at least one dose.

READ ALSO: Spain’s fifth Covid wave – What are the new restrictions in each region this summer?

The 163 municipalities that will have a nighttime curfew until further notice are the following:

ABRERA

ALCOVER

ALELLA

ALPICAT

AMPOSTA

ARENYS DE MAR

ARENYS DE MUNT

ARGENTONA

BADALONA

BADIA DEL VALLÈS

BALAGUER

BARBERÀ DEL VALLÈS

BARCELONA

BEGUES

BIGUES I RIELLS

BLANES

CABRERA DE MAR

CABRILS

CALDES DE MONTBUI

CALDES D’ESTRAC

CALELLA

CALONGE I SANT ANTONI

CAMBRILS

CANET DE MAR

CANOVELLES

CAPELLADES

CARDEDEU

CASSÀ DE LA SELVA

CASTELLAR DEL VALLÈS

CASTELLBISBAL

CASTELLDEFELS

CASTELL-PLATJA D’ARO

CELRÀ

CERDANYOLA DEL VALLÈS

CERVELLÓ

CORBERA DE LLOBREGAT

CORNELLÀ DE LLOBREGAT

CUBELLES

CUNIT

DOSRIUS

EL MASNOU

EL PAPIOL

EL PRAT DE LLOBREGAT

EL VENDRELL

ESPARREGUERA 

ESPLUGUES DE LLOBREGAT

FIGUERES

GAVÀ

GIRONA

GRANOLLERS

LA BISBAL D’EMPORDÀ

LA CANONJA

LA GARRIGA

LA LLAGOSTA

LA PALMA DE CERVELLÓ

LA ROCA DEL VALLÈS

LA SELVA DEL CAMP

LA SEU D’URGELL

L’AMETLLA DE MAR

L’AMETLLA DEL VALLÈS

L’ARBOÇ

LES FRANQUESES DEL VALLÈS

L’HOSPITALET DE LLOBREGAT

LLAGOSTERA

LLEIDA

LLIÇÀ D’AMUNT

LLIÇÀ DE VALL

LLINARS DEL VALLÈS

LLORET DE MAR

MAÇANET DE LA SELVA

MALGRAT DE MAR

MARTORELL

MARTORELLES

MASQUEFA

MATARÓ

MOIÀ

MOLINS DE REI

MOLLERUSSA

MOLLET DEL VALLÈS

MONTCADA I REIXAC

MONTGAT

MONTMELÓ

MONTORNÈS DEL VALLÈS

MONT-ROIG DEL CAMP

NAVARCLES

OLESA DE MONTSERRAT

ÒRRIUS

PALAFOLLS

PALAFRUGELL

PALAMÓS

PALAU-SOLITÀ I PLEGAMANS

PALLEJÀ

PARETS DEL VALLÈS

PINEDA DE MAR

POLINYÀ

PREMIÀ DE DALT

PREMIÀ DE MAR

REUS

RIPOLLET

RIUDOMS

RODA DE BERÀ

RUBÍ

SABADELL

SALLENT

SALOU

SANT ADRIÀ DE BESÒS

SANT ANDREU DE LA BARCA

SANT ANDREU DE LLAVANERES

SANT ANTONI DE VILAMAJOR

SANT BOI DE LLOBREGAT

SANT CLIMENT DE LLOBREGAT

SANT CUGAT DEL VALLÈS

SANT ESTEVE SESROVIRES

SANT FELIU DE GUÍXOLS

SANT FELIU DE LLOBREGAT

SANT FOST DE CAMPSENTELLES

SANT FRUITÓS DE BAGES

SANT JOAN DE VILATORRADA

SANT JOAN DESPÍ

SANT JUST DESVERN

SANT PERE DE RIBES

SANT POL DE MAR

SANT QUIRZE DEL VALLÈS

SANT VICENÇ DE CASTELLET

SANT VICENÇ DE MONTALT

SANT VICENÇ DELS HORTS

SANTA COLOMA DE CERVELLÓ

SANTA COLOMA DE FARNERS

SANTA COLOMA DE GRAMENET

SANTA CRISTINA D’ARO

SANTA EULÀLIA DE RONÇANA

SANTA MARIA DE MARTORELLES

SANTA MARIA DE PALAUTORDERA

SANTA PERPÈTUA DE MOGODA

SANTA SUSANNA

SARRIÀ DE TER

SENTMENAT

SOLSONA

TARRAGONA

TEIÀ

TERRASSA

TIANA

TORDERA

TORRELLES DE LLOBREGAT

TORROELLA DE MONTGRÍ

TOSSA DE MAR

ULLASTRELL
ULLDECONA

VACARISSES

VALLIRANA

VALLROMANES

VALLS

VANDELLÒS I L’HOSPITALET DE L’INFANT

VIDRERES

VILADECANS

VILADECAVALLS

VILAFRANCA DEL PENEDÈS

VILANOVA DEL VALLÈS

VILANOVA I LA GELTRÚ

VILA-SECA

VILASSAR DE DALT

VILASSAR DE MAR

VINYOLS I ELS ARCS

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HEALTH

Respiratory infections soar in Spain over Christmas as hospitals struggle

Cases of viral respiratory infections such as flu, Covid and bronchitis have shot up over the past few weeks in Spain, putting an enormous strain on hospitals across the country and causing a severe lack of beds.

Published: 4 January 2024 12:33 CET
Respiratory infections soar in Spain over Christmas as hospitals struggle

Winter colds and flu are common, but this year Spain has seen a spike in cases of three different viruses – flu, Covid and bronchitis at the same time.

This comes after the festive and New Year period with lots of family gatherings and meetings with friends without much thought for social distancing days of the pandemic.

Rise in cases

According to health services, there are 35 percent more cases of these infections than a year ago, a percentage that is expected to continue rising until the third week of January when the epidemic peak will be reached after more gatherings for Three Kings’ Day on January 5th and 6th.

In a period of seven days, the rates of flu have gone from 532 to 908 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The cases of Covid have also grown from 12.6 percent to 13.6 percent.

The Health Minister, Monica García has published a message on social media reminding the public of the importance of getting vaccinated and maintaining prevention measures, such as ventilating rooms, washing hands and wearing a mask.

The head of the Emergency Department at the Reina Sofía University Hospital in Murcia, explained that the profile of these patients ranges “from young people with flu pathologies who go to the emergency room because health centres have delayed their appointments and people over 80 years old with pneumonia due to the flu who end up being admitted”.

Lack of hospital beds

According to the first vice president of the Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine (SEMES), Pascual Piñera, 10 of patients with these infections end up admitted to hospital overnight and one of the biggest problems staff are facing is the severe lack of beds, “They have nowhere to put the sick”, he explained.

The situation is the same all over the country. Red Workers union of the La Paz University Hospital in Madrid has reported that there are 105 patients pending admission and beds in the hallways are in double rows, “which cannot be evacuated if the patient worsens or there is a fire”.

Delays in primary health care 

Acute respiratory infections not only put a strain on hospitals and emergency rooms, but also primary care centres, causing delays and long waiting times for appointments. 

The spokesperson for the Federation of Associations for the Defence of Public Health (FADSP), Marciano Sánchez Bayle, explains that it is generating a “major traffic jam” in the healthcare system “where appointments are made for very late dates”.

Sánchez Bayle cites the case of the Community of Madrid, where he knows that appointments requested in December were not given until the end of January “which further clogs an already saturated system”. 

The need for greater vaccination rates 

Besides the festive period, many health professionals believe that the situation could be improved if more people were getting vaccinated, specifically against the flu. 

Flu vaccination in Spain is far below the WHO recommendations, hovering around 50 percent of the population at risk, when the goal is 75 percent. And the percentage is even lower in the case of children under five.

According to the Ministry of Health, the objectives for vaccination against flu and Covid-19 for the 2023-2024 season are to achieve or exceed vaccination coverage of 75 percent in older people and health workers, as well as 60 percent for pregnant women and people with at-risk conditions.

Amós García Rojas from Spain’s Vaccinology Association believes that after a few years without flu during the Covid pandemic, society has relaxed.

The vaccination campaign has not yet ended, so there’s still time to get yours before the end of the season. The campaign began on October 15th and ends on January 31st. 

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