Catalonia's Procicat emergency management committee has agreed today to extend the nighttime curfew for a further two-week period. This extension will be published in the Catalan government gazette before Monday, which is when the current curfew decree expires, and will therefore be in force until 23rd November.
The Catalan health department proposed this extension to consolidate the beginnings of a turnaround in key pandemic indicators while interior ministry sources told the EFE agency that "we have to persevere in order to maintain the trend". The current nighttime lockdown across Catalonia will thus continue, between 2200h and 0600h, times that are within the parameters allowed in the state of alarm decree passed by the Spanish parliament.
"#PROCICAT has today approved the extension from Sunday night / Monday morning and for two weeks, the nighttime lockdown from 10pm to 6am with the same exceptions as have already been established."— Civil protection
Stats are better, but not the hospital pressure
On Thursday, the Catalan health minister, Alba Vergés, already took for granted the extension of the curfew, whose initial two-week period expires on Monday. “It will continue for sure,” she said in statements to broadcaster RNE Radio 4. She added that they will look at “how the other measures may be extended”. When asked about the possibility of a partial opening of restaurants - for example, terraces - she did not rule it out, but warned that "it can't be hurried".
Health minister Alba Vergés took for granted the extension of the curfew on Thursday. / ACN
Vergés noted the incipient improvement in Covid indicators for Catalonia, noting, however, that neither the number of cases nor the pressure on the health system have decreased. That’s why she urged to “go step by step” before considering an easing of restrictions. “We’re on the right path, but it’s not a matter of trying to hurry,” she stated. In fact, she said this would be "counterproductive" and that is why she is committed to maintaining measures to "strengthen" the fall in case numbers and reach a good position for the coming weeks and months.
Restaurants and culture sector to remain closed
Meanwhile, the other current measures will continue: the closure of bars, restaurants, beauty salons, theatres, cinemas, gyms, plus the limitations on capacities in shops and supermarkets and the perimeter closures of Catalonia and, at weekends, of municipalities. These measures will have to be reviewed at the end of next week, as the expiry date of the decree that introduced them for two weeks comes up next Friday.
All these measures have led to Catalonia falling slightly from a second wave peak in the numbers of infections, while the Rt virus transmission index has dropped below 1, in addition to stabilization in the number of hospital admissions. It is hoped that a similar trend will also become visible soon in the number of intensive care Covid-19 patients.