The residents of Barcelona were asked to stay indoors and not gather in group of over 10 on Friday as the regional authorities try to contain the rise of the coronavirus or COVID-19 infections while stopping short of enforcing COVID-19 lockdown.
"We recommend that people don't move around if it's not absolutely necessary," the health chief of Catalonia, Alba Verges told in a news conference. "It is very important to respect these measures now, it's the best way to avoid a lockdown."
Residents of Barcelona Asked to Stay Indoors
Residents were urged to shop online and cultural and sports events will also be limited. But museums will remain open in the Catalan capital, one of Europe's most visited cities. Barcelona, which is Spain's second-largest city with a population of 1.6 million people, has seen its number of coronavirus cases jump from last week.
Spain reported the steepest daily jump in coronavirus infections in over two months on Thursday, with 580 new cases registered. Catalonia and neighboring Aragon have led the increase. Spain has been one of Europe's hardest-hit countries with more than 28,000 deaths in the pandemic. It emerged from a strict national lockdown on June 21 but since then more than 170 clusters have sprung up, prompting regional authorities to impose a patchwork of local restrictions.
(With agency inputs)
