Spain imposes second local coronavirus lockdown in two days

The regional government said people will be allowed to move around A Marina, but only those who need to travel for work will be allowed to leave or enter the area

July 06, 2020 06:27 am | Updated 06:27 am IST - MADRID

Police tape is seen in a swing in a playground after the Catalonia government imposed new restrictions to control a new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Lleida, Spain July 4, 2020.

Police tape is seen in a swing in a playground after the Catalonia government imposed new restrictions to control a new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Lleida, Spain July 4, 2020.

The northwestern Spanish region of Galicia imposed restrictions on about 70,000 people on Sunday following a COVID-19 outbreak , a day after Catalonia also introduced a local lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

People living in A Marina along Spain's northern coast in the province of Lugo will not be able to leave the area from midnight on Sunday until Friday, two days before regional elections in Galicia on July 12.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, speaking at a local political rally in Bilbao on Sunday, urged people not to lower their guard, but called for calm as “the early detection of these outbreaks shows the health system is much better prepared” than in March.

The regional government said people will be allowed to move around A Marina, but only those who need to travel for work will be allowed to leave or enter the area.

Police officers check the documents of the people travelling on a vehicle at entrance of Lleida after Catalonia government imposes new restrictions to control a fresh COVID-19 outbreak in Lleida, Spain, July 4, 2020.

Police officers check the documents of the people travelling on a vehicle at entrance of Lleida after Catalonia government imposes new restrictions to control a fresh COVID-19 outbreak in Lleida, Spain, July 4, 2020.

Regional Health minister Jesus Vazquez Almuina told a news conference on Sunday that the biggest outbreaks were linked to several bars in the area. Regional health authorities said there were now 258 cases in Galicia, of which 117 were in Lugo.

Capacity in bars and restaurants will be reduced to 50% and people will have to wear a face mask even if outdoors on beaches or at swimming pools, the authorities said.

Spain's Health Minister Salvador Illa said on Sunday that the ministry was following the situations in Galicia and Catalonia very closely. “Social distancing and lockdown measures were the key to flattening the curve. Now they are needed again to stop the outbreaks,” he said in tweet.

Spain has registered 205,545 coronavirus cases and 28,385 deaths according to health ministry data, making it one of Europe's worst-affected countries.

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