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Public prosecutors in Barcelona have opened more than 230 civil investigations on the management of Catalan nursing homes for senior citizens during the coronavirus pandemic, especially regarding compliance with health protocols and contingency plans. Most criminal accusations have been rejected by the courts, but as El Periódico reports, prosecutors specialising in disability and guardianship are looking into the state of these centres, which in the first weeks of the pandemic, just on a year ago, experienced many serious outbreaks in which hundreds of elderly and dependent people died.

On June 10th, 2020, the public prosecution service had 109 cases open against homes in Catalonia. So far, prosecutors have sent letters to the geriatric institutions asking for the list of residents and the situation of each one, PCR tests, infections, hospital admissions and deaths. They also demand explanatory information on the organization of each centre, its staff, protective equipment and internal and external protocols. Finally, the prosecutors has also requested explanations from the Catalan government.

When the pandemic allows it, prosecutors may make in-person visits to the centres, and if they detect any criminal irregularity, they could refer the cases to the criminal area. On June 25th, 2020, prosecutors demanded from the Catalan government on the total number of deaths in residences and how many PCR tests had been carried out. Over the last year, and especially since vaccinations began, the situation in the residences has changed, but the prosecution service wants to analyze the first weeks of pandemic management when many of the positive cases which occurred were not transferred to hospitals and segmentation was not correctly carried out.

Of the complaints that were filed initially in relation to the pandemic, some were from relatives and others from associations that believed the fundamental rights of the elderly were being violated. Cinta Pascual, president of the employers' group ACRA which represents the care home businesses, was very clear in statements at the time and exposed the situation experienced during the coronavirus crisis within centres, the lack of resources, the violation of fundamental rights and the "post-collapse" situation that now opens a judicial door.