The images were to be expected: people filling public spaces once Catalonia's curfew came to an end as the state of alarm expired on Saturday night. Consequently, some of the reactions that have been heard contain a degree of cynicism. The good weather and the fact that it coincided with a weekend, coupled with the urge to get outside at an hour when it hadn't been possible for many months, made a difficult cocktail of circumstances before a multitude that wanted to celebrate a Saturday night in a way that we have almost forgotten about. Calls for individual responsibility will now begin to be heard, but what happened on Saturday night had to be taken for granted.
It is more urgent than ever, however, in order to counteract what will invariably happen on the streets from now on, that a very fast pace be maintained in the vaccination process, as the health authorities are trying to do when they have the vaccine supplies at hand to inoculate the population. The fact that those aged 50 to 59 are now beginning to receive their shots is very good news, but sooner rather than later it will be necessary to decide what is going to happen with the youngest age groups who have so far been left out of any public health announcements.
The fact that in a few weeks the school year ends means that, with the summer ahead, there must be a schedule that includes the first doses for younger people. In countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States, university students have long since been vaccinated, as they are considered to be the key spreaders of the virus in this new stage. Although it is obvious that the Catalan government does not have the power of decision, and it ends up being the Spanish health ministry with the consensus of all of the autonomous communities that reaches agreement on the different phases of vaccination, it does have the ability to exert pressure with regard to the peculiarities of Catalonia.
The same goes for the conflict that is already envisaged now that the European Union has decided not to renew the contract with AstraZeneca for the purchase of new vaccines after June. It remains to be seen what will happen to those people under the age of 60 who have already received a first dose and are in the most absolute limbo with respect to the second dose after it was decided that this vaccine would only be administered to people between 60 and 69 years of age. Similarly, it is not known whether Catalonia will have enough vaccines to gave a second dose across this latter age group, given the EU decision.
The images of Saturday night are certainly concerning. But so is the chaos that exists over vaccines. And what those who govern cannot do is focus on the first problem to hide their incompetence over the second. There are other answers possible than just avoiding the question.