Ômicron blast leads to curfew in Catalonia and tests in Madrid

Catalonia, in northeastern Spain, got court approval for a nightly curfew on Thursday, while Madrid promised to distribute millions more test kits to stem the spread of Covid’s Ômicron variant. 19, which has been increasing infections and overshadowing Christmas.

Spain lifted most restrictions over the summer thanks to a high vaccination rate that suppressed infections, but the arrival of Ômicron sent daily infections reaching a record 60,000 on Wednesday, prompting some regions to tighten their rules again. .

Taking the toughest stance since the country emerged from a state of emergency in May, Catalonia, which surrounds the city of Barcelona, ​​will ban residents from leaving their homes between 1 am and 6 am from Thursday night, while other regions preferred a less rigid approach.

Murcia in the south has directed non-essential businesses to close at 1 am, severely limiting festivities in a country where bars and restaurants are routinely open until the early hours of the day.

“The idea is to try to limit, during the Christmas season, social interactions in which the mask is not worn,” said regional leader Fernando Lopez Miras when explaining the measure, which Aragão, in the north, is also considering.

The Madrid region has focused on improving the testing program and has pledged to distribute 12 million rapid exams over the Christmas period.