With Easter holidays upon us and a gradual upward trend in coronavirus indicators in recent days, the Catalan government decided on Thursday to maintain most of the Covid-19 measures currently in force in Catalonia. However, there is one important exception: because of the agreement at Spanish level to impose common measures over the whole Easter period, from Friday 26th March Catalonia will face more restrictive conditions on social gatherings. These measures are set to stay in force for two weeks, until Friday April 9th.
The new regulations are as follows:
- Social gatherings in outdoor public spaces must not exceed a maximum of six people.
- Social gatherings in indoor public spaces must not exceed a maximum of four people.
- Social gatherings in private spaces are prohibited (eg, you cannot have friends to visit in your home, or visit them at their home).
- As long as these maximum group sizes are not exceeded, the number of cohabitation bubbles they come from does not matter (eg, four people could meet for an indoor restaurant meal from up to four different bubbles).
- Where all people in a gathering belong to the same household bubble, the maximum number of people can be exceeded.
- At social gatherings, groups are not permitted to eat and/or drink together, except in bars or restaurants.
Specific rules for bars and restaurants
- Despite these restrictions, bars and restaurants will be subject to specific restaurant regulations: the maximum number of people at a table is four (unless all are members of the same household bubble group).
- The distance between tables must be maintained. Two tables may not be joined together, even leaving a space between them, to make large groups.
Travel and curfew
- Travel outside your county (comarca) with other people is only permitted for those in the same household bubble. Once at the destination, social gatherings can be held with other bubbles, as long as the rules in the previous section are met.
- Travel outside Catalonia is not permitted.
- Travel between Spanish autonomous communities is not permitted, except on the case of the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands, because this has been agreed by the Interterritorial Health Council.
- Curfew is maintained from 10pm to 6am in Catalonia. (Under the Easter rules, all of Spain is under curfew, from 11pm to 6am as a minimum)
Remember, all these rules apply from Friday March 26th until Friday April 9th, right across Spain.
Main image: A shopping centre with measures against Coronavirus / EFE
At social gatherings (which must be held in public spaces), groups are not permitted to eat and/or drink together, except in bars or restaurants.