Hospitals in Pyrenean counties on lockdown 'stable'

Just under a week after the counties of La Cerdanya and El Ripollès, in the western Catalan Pyrenees, were placed on lockdown due to a surge in coronavirus cases, the situation at their hospitals is now "stable."

The restrictions "have brought the number of people in the area down and therefore there are fewer non-Covid-19 emergencies," explained Xavier Conill, Hospital de la Cerdanya's deputy director general, on Monday. This means the hospitals have "more capacity to act in the face of the Covid cases we still have," Conill added. 

And while the head of the Hospital Comarcal del Ripollès, Joan Graner, described the situation at his medical center as "calm", he anticipates the possibility of a surge in cases following holiday gatherings.   

These counties, especially La Cerdanya, tend to attract more people over the winter as many city dwellers have second homes in the area, with others also traveling there to take advantage of the ski season.