Where targeted Covid-19 mass screenings are taking place in Catalonia

Over 21,000 people have taken part in the targeted mass coronavirus screenings in specific areas seeing a higher impact of Covid-19 since the tests began four weeks ago, in early August.  

With these actions, the Catalan health department aims to react to coronavirus clusters within a few hours or days where the risk is pinpointed – so the target might be residents of specific streets or neighborhoods.

The screenings usually take place on the street, inside a yellow medical marquee belonging to the Catalan emergency services.

Those willing to undergo a test to know whether they are asymptomatic cases queue outside the tent and must prove that they live where the screening is targeted and that they fall within the age range authorities are focusing on in each case.

The health department said last Friday that since this procedure was launched, 21,216 people have already been tested, and 513 of them were found to be positive, 2.41% of the total.

Authorities also explained that the screenings are taking place in areas where both the number of transmissions and the index of transmission is growing, and sometimes for certain age ranges – most of the tests have been performed in the Barcelona metropolitan area.

The first pilot run of the screenings began in Granollers (Vallès Oriental county) during the last week of July, and continued in towns in the Barcelona metropolitan area such as Terrassa, Sabadell, Ripollet, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat and Cornellà de Llobregat.

Several towns in the western Lleida region have also been the site of mass PCR tests, such as Torregrossa and Alcarràs, as well as others like Reus, near Tarragona.

Take a look at this interactive map to see where a free coronavirus PCR test can be requested: