MADRID (SPAIN) – As many as 160,000 people in Spain’s Catalonia returned to home confinement on Wednesday as authorities stepped up measures to control a fresh spurt in the number of coronavirus infections in the area. This comes just weeks after the nation lifted the lockdown.
The stay-at-home order of the regional government was approved by a judge for residents of the city of Lleida and six other towns nearby on Tuesday night. This is after days of legal tussle and political tensions over the issue.
Under the new order, people are permitted to leave their homes for work, buying groceries, and hotels and bars will be closed except for food pick-up or delivery.
Authorities of Barcelona have also urged residents of three neighbourhoods in L’Hospitalet, which is home to a population of 260,000, to remain at home. However, it is not mandatory. Separately, a judge refused to approve a proposed restriction on gatherings of more than ten people.
After marking more than 28,000 fatalities from the coronavirus spread, the nation’s government lifted the lockdown on June 21.
But more than 170 clusters have come up around the country after the lockdown was lifted. This made authorities impose local curbs.
Spain’s second-most populous region of Catalonia is the first to order citizens to remain home once again. Certain parts of Galicia have been sealed off while Ordizia in Basque country enforced curfews to stem the spread of the virus.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field