Government to extend regional lockdown until 26th April
The Health Department confirms that there has been no Easter effect and that the trend of positives and admissions to the ICU is decreasing
BarcelonaCatalonia will maintain seven more days of regional lockdown, which was due to end on Monday. Procicat has approved the new extension after noting that both epidemiological indicators and ICU occupancy are decreasing very timidly, since in the end the dreaded Easter effect has not taken place. "There has not been an explosion of new infections", assured the Secretary of Health, Marc Ramentol, in an appearance in which he coincided with the Minister of Home Affairs, Miquel Sàmper, in congratulating the public for complying with the restrictions, the economic sectors hardest hit by the crisis and the security and emergency teams for the work they have done.
In principle, the extension of the regional lockdown will end on Monday 26 April, but there is no guarantee that this will be the day on which the easing of measures will begin. It will not be until "the circumstances are right" and the downward trend detected in the epidemiological and hospital indicators stabilises that this process will start, which this time is planned to be "different". Unlike previous waves, which were managed with openings and closings depending on the data, the aim now is to propose a "slow and safe" opening so as "not to take steps forward and backwards", said Sàmper. "We need these seven days to change the epidemic", said Ramentol.
The aim is to gain time for the ICUs to empty, since the current data suggest a certain optimism for the coming weeks. The authorities have preferred to wait a few days because, although there has been a reduction in new admissions, the 500 critical coronavirus patients today occupy 52% of the Catalan ICUs, a percentage that is too high to begin to ease measures, as it would put enormous strain on the hospital system, which has already been forced to deprogram non-urgent interventions to avoid collapse. In this fourth wave of the pandemic, the problem has not so much been an explosive increase in new infections, but rather that the critical care units started out already overcrowded.
Easing à la carte
There is now a debate on what form and borders mobility restrictions will take when there is a relaxation of regional lockdown, and Procicat has on the table the options of the vegueries or health regions, which would give oxygen to territories with a high population density, such as the metropolitan area of Barcelona, which has been calling for weeks to avoid overcrowding in the most visited parks and beaches. In this sense, the Councillor for Health of Barcelona City Council, Gemma Tarafa, has regretted that the regional limit has not been exceeded for next week and has called for it to be done as soon as possible, while once again asking citizens to be "cautious" in order to avoid crowds.
Territories such as Terres de l'Ebre and the Pyrenees also hoped that Procicat would assess the good behaviour of the epidemic in order to relax the restrictions, but Procicat has ruled out making "à la carte restrictions". As for the legal authorisation to travel to Andorra and for Andorrans to visit Catalonia, Sàmper admitted that, although with the law in hand, travel cannot be banned because it is a decision that falls to the Spanish government, it would be preferable for citizens to stay within their own region.
However, the authorities have found that the increased mobility that occurred during the Easter holidays has not resulted in more contagions, because once in the summer destination the population has continued to comply with the basic restrictive measures of hygiene and interactions within their cohabitation bubbles.
No safe conducts for shows
The Government has ruled out for now that the entrance to a cultural show will serve as a safe conduct to break the regional lockdown, which will be maintained for at least another week, as approved this Friday. The councillor for Culture, Àngels Ponsa, made the announcement at a press conference at the department, in which she also guaranteed that she had defended it with "solid arguments". Ponsa hopes that it won't be long before "we have to talk about it again", an option that would be "as valid" as extending the curfew. "It would have to be possible. At the moment it is not, but we are not giving up and we will continue to fight for it", she stressed.