The Catalan Higher Regional Court approves a curfew. Bars, restaurants, cultural and sports venues in Barcelona are closed after midnight.
Barcelona – The rising incidence in Catalonia has consequences. In order to curb the rapidly increasing number of infections, the Spanish corona hotspot Catalonia reacts with a night-time ban. The Catalan Higher Regional Court approved a corresponding motion from the regional government in Barcelona on Friday (July 16, 2021).
For a large part of the approximately 7.5 million residents: inside the popular holiday region in northeastern Spain, this means a ban on taking to the streets between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. Tourists are also affected by the night curfew. An exception applies to localities with fewer than 5000 inhabitants: inside and low numbers of infections.
A dance ban in bars and clubs, such as in Greece, has not yet existed in Catalonia, but the Catalan regional government ordered the closure of the indoor areas of all nightly entertainment venues a week ago. There was no noticeable effect, but the incidence in Catalonia rose dramatically again.
Corona: Catalonia closes bars and beaches due to high incidence – also in Barcelona
The regional Prime Minister Pere Aragonès described the measures that have now come into force as “tough but necessary”. He announced: “Together we will reverse the curve of Covid-19.” Catalonia is not the first region in Spain to have nightly curfews on the number of new infections with the coronavirus, which is skyrocketing in practically all of Spain. Valencia had previously introduced a curfew, and other regions such as Cantabria, Navarra and Extremadura are planning similar things.
| region | Catalonia |
| Capital | Barcelona |
| population | 7.566 million |
| surface | 32,108 km² |
| Prime Minister | Pere Aragonès |
However, nowhere in Spain is the situation as serious as in Catalonia. Most recently, an incidence of 583 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants was reported within seven days, nationwide the value is 282, in Germany just nine. In addition to the nightly curfew, the regional government is also reacting by closing the beaches, some of which had previously been excessively overcrowded despite the continuously increasing corona numbers. (Mirko Schmid with dpa)
