Government to close nightlife again

The Department of Health has convened a meeting with the nightlife sector this Tuesday at noon following the surge in cases among young people. The Government is preparing a new resolution that implies the closing of the nightlife premises, although outdoor dancefloors will still be allowed-. "There is no alternative if we want to bring the virus back under control", warned the spokeswoman for the Catalan Government, Patricia Plaja. The executive has met to address new measures to try to stop the exponential growth of contagions and has decided to re-close the nightlife 15 days after its opening.

The Government also recommends citizens to always use masks, also on the street. Aware that they cannot impose its use outdoors if the Spanish government does not change its current measures, Plaja explained that, given the volume of infections, it is necessary that citizens go back to using it except when they are with their coexistence bubble.

Fifteen days of closure

The closure of the interior of nightclubs and dance halls would initially apply for 15 days and would not affect the activity of establishments that have an outdoor area. In this case, the premises could keep this outdoor area open to the public. The measure would not affect music festivals either. During this first week of July, for example, the Cruïlla Festival is being held in Barcelona.

The aim of the new closure is to try to curb the increase in cases in recent days and reduce the spread of the virus especially among the younger population, which has not yet been vaccinated. In fact, the BIOCOMSC estimates that 1 in 40 young people will end up infected in the coming days.

The announcement of the meeting took place as the secretary general of the nightlife business association Fecasarm, Joaquim Boadas, was at a public event in Salou. "If they make us close it will be a definitive ruin, a death sentence", said Boadas. Employers had convened an event to call for the implementation of antigen tests before entering premises, a measure that for many months the sector has claimed is efficient to stop infections.