End of night curfew could come before May 9, say health officials

"The measure has been effective, but it’s taken an emotional toll on people," says Catalan government

The deserted 'Rambla Nova' street in Tarragona just after 10pm, the day the curfew was introduced (by Eloi Tost)
The deserted 'Rambla Nova' street in Tarragona just after 10pm, the day the curfew was introduced (by Eloi Tost) / ACN

ACN | Barcelona

April 19, 2021 11:28 AM

Health officials in Catalonia have opened the door to lifting the night curfew, in place since last October, before Spain’s state of alarm automatically expires on May 9.

Confining people to their homes from 10pm to 6am, the measure has remained in place ever since last fall, even when other restrictions to contain the coronavirus pandemic were eased as epidemiological indicators improved.

"The curfew has been an effective measure, but it has taken an emotional toll on people," Marc Ramentol, the Catalan government’s secretary-general for Health, said in a radio interview.