Home confinement for Segrià 'not on the table' despite 74 cases recorded in 24 hours

The government does not believe that confining people to their homes in the county of Segrià is likely despite the ongoing outbreak of Covid-19 in and around the city of Lleida in western Catalonia.

Spokesperson Meritxell Budó said the move was 'not on the table', but stressed that their decisions are always based on the latest coronavirus data.

Last Friday the health department said they were not considering confinement measures, shortly before president Quim Torra announced a lockdown of the area the following morning, prohibiting people from leaving or entering except for work or other valid reasons.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday where it was announced that the use of face masks will be made mandatory across Catalonia, Budó said she was "surprised" that Madrid had criticized Catalonia for acting "late" in closing off Segrià.

"It would be funny if it were not for the fact that the situation is so serious," she said, calling for "less frivolity and more co-responsibility" from the Spanish authorities.

74 new cases in 24 hours

An additional 74 positive Covid-19 cases have been recorded in Segrià in the last 24 hours.

Current data from the health department shows that Friday saw a peak of 134 cases, but cases assigned to each day continues to be updated retrospectively. It is expected that the current totals for Monday (13), Sunday (62), and Saturday (66) will grow as results come through in the coming days.

Figures released on Monday showed that cases had doubled in the previous week.

Screenings return to care homes

Screenings have returned to care homes in the city of Lleida and the surrounding county of Segrià due to the increase in cases.

About eighty PCR tests were done in an old folks' home on Tuesday in the town of Aitona, close to the border with Aragon, and plans are in place to test all staff and residents in the area's 33 care homes within the next two weeks.

The sampling team is expected to be reinforced tomorrow, Wednesday, with two more people coming down from the western Catalan Pyrenees health region.