New stay-at-home orders have been issued to some 200,000 people living in the north-eastern region of Catalonia. Tourism and hospitality industries in Spain are trying to save what has been left of the summer season.
On Saturday, authorities in northeast Spain ordered the lockdown of the county of El Segria around the city of Lleida, home to over 200,000 people, after health officials reported a rise in 60 cases in 24 hours. The quarantine started at around noon Saturday and residents of the now isolated area had until 4 p.m. (local time) to return to their homes.
According to Catalonia President Quim Torra, they are taking a step back to protect themselves and take all the necessary measures to stop the contagion, Connor Perrett of The Independent, wrote.
Police checkpoints will be used to carry out the lockdown, according reports. Catalonian officials ruled out the notion of a so-called selective confinement, and instead will go for the entire lockdown mandate, The Independent said.
A field medical facility was set up outside the Lleida's Arnau de Vilanova hospital in the capital city of Lleida on Friday, the BBC disclosed. It has the capacity to treat up to 105 more patients if required.
In a media briefing, Torra pointed out that authorities have decided to isolate Segria as a result of data that validate significant growth in the number of COVID-19 cases. People will not be allowed to enter or leave the area, and gatherings of over 10 people is prohibited. Visits to retirement homes will also be restricted, officials disclosed.
Figures released by the health ministry reported that 4,030 infections have been tallied in the region on Friday, 60 more than on Thursday. A total of 365 cases were reported during the week, with 28 people with COVID-19 treated in hospitals, six of them in intensive care units.
All in all, the novel coronavirus pandemic has made Spain one of the hardest-hit countries in Europe. According to figures by Johns Hopkins University, Spain has recorded 250,545 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 28,385 fatalities caused by the disease.
The number of COVID-19 cases around the world reached 11 million on Friday, according to a Reuters report. About 25 percent of all deaths from the virus occurred in the United States which registered around 50,000 new cases on Thursday - an all-time high of the crisis.
The new lockdown measures come as the country's hospitality and tourism sectors were hoping to entice last-minute visitors during the summer season. Holidaymakers from Europe have already started visiting the Mediterranean country after the region started loosening border lockdowns.
