Torra calls for 'responsibility' in order to avoid another lockdown

Catalan president Quim Torra has called on citizens to act with "responsibility" and "solidarity" in order to avoid more extreme lockdown measures to fight the spread of Covid-19. 

At a press conference, the head of the government stated that it was time for a "great collective effort" to avoid more restrictive measures. 

Torra warned that the pandemic situation is "critical" and "very worrying" and that the country is facing "the 10 most important days of the summer." 

The president has lamented that young people are holding massive gatherings on the street and has appealed to the interior ministry and mayors to apply the regulated sanctions if the preventive measures are not respected.

"Civic duty"

Torra pledged to do everything in his power to prevent the pandemic escalating to the levels witnessed in March.

He also called on the public, appealing to their sense of "civic duty" to make efforts to rectify the situation.

"We all need to be aware that we all have to act in the right way. We were successful with the total lockdown, but nobody wants to go back to that situation now."

The average age of people being diagnosed with Covid-19 is currently 37.5. In the last week 5,487 infections have been recorded including 57 people hospitalized. Torra said that the current outbreaks are having an impact on the primary care network and that the priority is to ensure that hospitals are not "overwhelmed."

The president celebrated the fact that the outbreaks in Segrià, Vilafant and Figueres seem to be stabilizing, but warned that the situation "is very complex and very changeable." 

Torra went on to advise people to "slow down" and show responsibility in their social interactions.

He justified the government's decision to shut down nightlife throughout Catalonia, saying it was necessary to safeguard people's health.

Popular Party criticism

The right wing Popular Party accused Torra of "shifting all responsibility to the general public, under the threat of confining us again".

Daniel Serrano, one of the party's four MPs in the Catalan parliament, tweeted that he was surprised that Torra and his government "wash their hands and avoid any self-criticism," because "it was their incompetence that brought us here."