Catalonia wants to extend Covid restrictions and reimpose a curfew in Lleida and other major towns

The Catalan government will ask the High Court on Wednesday for permission to extend Covid-19 restrictions until July 30 and to reimpose a curfew in 165 municipalities, including the western city of Lleida, up from the 161 where the measure is currently in place. 

Because the curfew and restrictions infringe upon individual liberties, authorities must seek court approval on a weekly basis if they wish to enforce new Covid-curbing measures or prolong already existing ones. 

The towns of Igualada, la Bisbal d’Empordà, Salt, Mollerussa and Roses will also be under a curfew, in place from 1 am to 6 am. Others, like Deltebre, Esparreguera, Sant Celoni, Solsona, or Sant Sadurní d’Anoia are expected to see the restriction lifted a week after it was first reimplemented. 

The measure mainly affects municipalities with 5,000 or more residents and a 7-day Covid-19 incidence rate of 400 or more cases per 100,000 inhabitants, although it also applies to some with lower figures as they are surrounded by towns with higher rates. Catalonia as a whole currently has an average 1-week incidence rate of 605.9. 

Covid-19 restrictions

Beyond the curfew, all bars and restaurants and other businesses throughout Catalonia must close by 12:30 am, while cultural events have to end by then as well. 

There is also a 10-person limit on gatherings in place.  

Authorities have advised local councils to close off parks, beaches, and other areas where people tend to get together at night.

Nightclubs are only allowed to open their outdoor areas to the public and dancing is not permitted. Facemasks must be worn when food and beverages are not being consumed. 

161 municipalities already under curfew

For more information on how the curfew is being enforced in the 161 cities and towns where it has been in place since July 17 at 1 am, click here. 

Look up the 161 municipalities in the interactive map and table below: 

Covid-19 in Catalonia

Cases remain high in Catalonia, which was placed in the European Union's highest risk category on July 15 due to the spread of the Delta variant among younger, unvaccinated age groups, although they have begun to "stabilize."

As of July 19, 2021, official figures, released daily on this website, state there have been 843,276 Covid-19 cases confirmed by PCR and other types of tests, such as antibody tests, while a total of 22,340 people have died since the beginning of the outbreak according to funeral homes.

Meanwhile, 4,780,008 residents have been given the first dose of the vaccine, 61.9% of the total population. Out of those, 3,659,128 have also been administered a second dose (47.4% of the total population). 4,093,092 residents are considered to be fully immunized (53%).