Catalonia closes nightlife and secures court approval to impose curfew

Latest: Coronavirus in Spain figures (4 Jan)

UPDATED on Thurs 23 Dec at 19h.

The Catalan High Court on Thursday approved the new measures proposed by the Catalan government on Monday to combat the latest wave of Coronavirus.

From Friday 24 December, there is a 1am-6am curfew across Catalonia in municipalities with over 10,000 inhabitants and an incidence rate of over 250, as well as a 10-person limit on social gatherings to stop the spread of Covid-19. A total of 126 municipalities are currently affected by the measure.

There are also new capacity limits in restaurants, gyms and cultural venues. The limit is 50% for indoor seating areas in restaurants, and 70% for stores, gyms and cultural venues.

Covid-19 vaccination certificates are still required for entry into restaurants and gyms. The court is also allowing a 70% capacity limit for religious and non-religious ceremonies, such as weddings or funerals.

Other restrictions that did not require court approval also come into effect on Friday: the closure of all nighttime venues and a 50% cut to capacity in restaurants.

All the above measures come into effect from midnight on Thursday 23 December and remain in place for at least 15 days.

‘These steps are absolutely necessary,’ Catalonia’s regional health chief, Josep Argimon, said on Monday, announcing the new measures. ‘Infections have grown 100% over the past week.’

‘We had all hoped to spend these Christmas holidays with our family and loved ones, but unfortunately we are not in that situation,’ Catalan president Pere Aragonès said on Tuesday. ‘You don’t have to look at the numbers. All of us know people who have been infected.’

Noves mesures per contenir la #Covid:

👨‍👨‍👧‍👧 Limitació de trobades a 10 persones
🕺Tancament de l'oci nocturn
🌙 Toc de queda d'1h a 6h
🍽️ Aforament del 50% a la restauració i del 70% a comerços, esport i culturahttps://t.co/tzQZ7HZt64
— Govern. Generalitat (@govern) December 20, 2021