Barcelona mayor says loosening of travel restrictions in capital is ‘on the table’

The mayor of Barcelona, ​​Ada Colau, has suggested that a loosening of lockdown travel restrictions in the city is "on the table," something the City Council has been asking of the Catalan government for months. 

Current Covid-19 measures in place mean what on weekends people must remain within their municipalities of residence, something that the mayor worries is causing large crowding of people in places like Collserola park and Barceloneta beach due to the high population density of the Catalan capital. 

Now, Colau says measures could be loosened to allow Barcelona residents to travel through the 36 towns that comprise the metropolitan area. 

Colau has assured that she will always respect the decisions of the health authorities, but has stated that "Barcelona cannot be treated the same as a small town in the Pyrenees." 

Colau said that the government "understands" the criteria by which Barcelona asks to expand this municipal confinement. The mayor insists there are "different" realities between municipalities and therefore urges to take this into account in order to reduce social interaction.

Response to criticism

Also during her interview with Catalan television station TV3, Colau defended herself against accusations that she broke lockdown rules when spending some days with her family in a country house.

She lamented that Junts per Catalunya had spread "false information" and said she personally addressed government spokesperson Elsa Artadi about the issue. 

The Barcelona mayor argued that some members of JxCat were spreading “something that's not true that affects my family life.”