The Government will decide in the next few hours whether to implement the curfew

BarcelonaDespite the fact that it is not even 24 hours since the new restrictions to stop the explosion of covid contagions in Catalonia were announced, the Government will decide in the next few hours whether it will also apply a curfew. It is expected that the Generalitat's legal services will have the report commissioned by Aragonès ready by Tuesday after Valencia's High Court authorised a curfew in 32 municipalities due to the strong incidence of the virus.

Government spokeswoman Patrícia Plaja, has admitted that the position of the Valencian court has "opened the door" to considering curfew because it has been seen that it can be a "reality" without the state of alarm. "It paves the way", Plaja acknowledged, who explained that, once the legal services have finished the report, there will be an emergency meeting to agree on whether or not the Generalitat will ask for court authorisation to implement a curfew. It will take into account the legal services' report, the indicators of the pandemic and the criteria of the Health Department.

As for the package of measures that requires the closure of all activities at 00.30 h and prohibits meetings of over 10 people, the Government plans to bring the resolution to the Catalan High Court, whose approval it needs due to its restriction of fundamental rights. Plaja has assured that this resolution will be presented to the High Court regardless of the Generalitat's decision on the curfew, which would also need the court's approval.

An "agonizing" health system

The Government hopes that the response of the High Court on the maximum of 10 people in meetings arrives before the weekend, at the latest, on Friday night. The court has a period of three days after it receives the resolution, to position itself. As for the Generalitat's request to limit access to public spaces, such as parks and beaches, between 00.30 h and 6 h, Plaja has said that the goal is to "avoid concentrations" although she has admitted i will be hard to enforce. According to Plaja, the health system "is agonising".

Catalonia and Valencia are not the only regions tightening restrictions. Finally the government of Aragon has managed to get the High Court of Justice of this community to allow it to advance the closure of the bars and restaurants at 23.00 hours and nightclubs at 00.30 hours. Following the example of the Valencian Country, the Canary Islands government has also requested authorisation to apply a curfew in the islands with greater coronavirus incidence and the Prosecutor's Office has not opposed it. Castilla y León is also studying a temporary night-time confinement by municipalities. For its part, Galicia - with lower incidence figures - is considering lowering the maximum limit of 15 people in social gatherings, currently in force. In Madrid, on the other hand, the government of Isabel Díaz Ayuso has ruled out imposing new restrictions for now because it considers them unnecessary