End of curfew: as large a police presence as for New Year's Eve or Sant Joan
Police to carry out special eight-hour operation
BarcelonaThe last night of the curfew will be the strangest: on Saturday, it will only be in place between 10pm and midnight because from the first minute of Sunday, when the state of alarm disappears, it will be over. This will also mean that, after half a year of having to stay in, at midnight people will be allowed to leave their homes and move around. Aware of the rise in mobility this may entail, the police have prepared a special eight-hour operation, from midnight until eight in the morning. The spokesman for the Mossos, Commissioner Joan Carles Molinero, has defined the size of the operation as the same as New Year's Eve or the festival of Sant Joan. This is what they aim to do.
Avoid crowds in the street
From the outset, Molinero wanted to make it clear that between 10 pm and midnight curfew remains in force. Therefore, during these two hours officers may still issue fines to anyone on the street. According to Molinero, mobility will not be the same as for New Year's Eve or Sant Joan, although the Mossos will seek "the most strategic points". "We do not know how many people will leave at midnight," admitted the Minister of Home Affairs, Miquel Sàmper, but Molinero explained that the Mossos will be in places where you can "celebrate the end of curfew" to prevent crowds, parties, mass gatherings and also crimes, such as muggings and pick-pocketing. Riot police will be on standby.
Alert for Barcelona beaches
Barcelona's Guardia Urbana will have 30% more police officers working during the night, with 260 officers on duty. The head of the force, Major Quartermaster Pedro Velázquez, has put the spotlight on a possible increase in antisocial behaviour. "The shared use of spaces can affect the coexistence between citizens," he warned. He also warned that an increase in crime and road accidents is expected during the night. The deployment of agents will be made in areas where it is thought that there will be more crowds: Ciutat Vella, Sants-Montjuïc, the Carmel bunkers and the Mirador de Rabassada . But Velázquez has emphasised the beaches, because it is believed that it is where most gatherings will happen, which will have to be "closely monitored".
Alcohol and drug controls
The end of the curfew will most likely be noticed on the roads. The spokesman for the Mossos has advanced that they will carry out alcohol and drug controls to ensure traffic safety. In fact, as public transport has ruled out extending schedules despite the end of curfew, the Barcelona councillor for Security, Albert Batlle, has acknowledged that it may lead to an increase in the use of private vehicles. Batlle, like Sàmper, has recalled that the ban on consuming alcohol in the street is maintained.
Call for responsibility
The word responsibility is the one that has been repeated the most by political leaders who have spoken of the new restrictions. Sàmper has called for "care and sensibleness", Batlle "prudence, coexistence and civility" and the Minister of Health, Alba Vergés, "caution". "The epidemic continues," warned Vergés. According to Batlle, the relaxation of measures "will give an economic and social respite", although he has urged people not to go all out because the virus is still "not controlled". "The state of alarm is over, but not the pandemic," added Sàmper. Batlle has taken the opportunity to report that since the first state of alarm due to covid, Barcelona City Council has collected €1.74m through fines for breaking restrictions, and added that these will stay in place.