Companies and universities urged to operate remotely for two weeks

Catalan health authorities are urging companies and universities to operate remotely for the next two weeks in an effort to curb the surge in coronavirus infections, which they see as "extremely worrying".

In an interview with the RAC1 radio station, Catalonia's Public Health secretary, Josep Maria Argimon, called for a return to the remote work levels seen in March and April, when Spain’s state-wide lockdown was in full force during the peak of the pandemic’s first wave.

Catalonia reported at least 2,300 Covid-19 cases for the third day in a row on Sunday, pushing the weekly surge in infections to 11,564, a 26% increase from the previous record set only a week ago.

With Madrid currently under lockdown following weeks of rising infections and political back and forth, Argimon warned that the situation in Catalonia could be the same in two or three weeks time should coronavirus figures continue to rise.

Health authorities are calling on businesses to "quickly" set a plan to work remotely, as the government is planning to announce new restrictions to reduce social interactions in the coming days.