Catalan interior minister Miquel Buch has levelled a "strong complaint against an action showing a complete lack of solidarity" - namely, against people who, in violation of the coronavirus lockdown, have travelled to their second homes to spend Holy Week there. The minister made his statements during the Catalan government's daily coronavirus press conference.
Buch has ordered Catalonia's Mossos d'Esquadra police to intensify traffic checks and increase pressure "on those who breach lockdown in an irresponsible and selfish way", putting in danger elderly and vulnerable people who live in second residence areas.
There will be more checkpoints, but the interior ministry has also contacted municipal councils to ensure that local police will also be strict with the measures. The Mossos will enforce penalties and will make vehicles return to their places of origin, as they have done on the last few weekends.
As usual, the interior minister gave a summary of police activity in the last 24 hours, with respect to the lockdown in Catalonia. Today, he spoke of 10 arrests, five of them for selling drugs in a squatted flat in Barcelona's Raval neighbourhood. Much more significant numerically were the actions in the last day in relation to enforcing the coronavirus confinement: 2,701 people charged for breaches of lockdown, 9,569 people were asked to show identification, 8,995 vehicles were stopped and one charge was laid at a business premises.
In terms of traffic flow in Barcelona, the normal volume of traffic leaving the Catalan capital was down by 74.6%, while the fall for vehicles entering the city was 75.3%. These figures represent increases of 7 and 14% respectively compared to the figure for the same time last week.