Barcelona to dissuade crowds with police patrols in strategic spots
The end of the nightly curfew has seen social life return with large groups accumulating in popular areas
Barcelona will see heightened police presence across areas where people most often accumulate, as the country prepares for the first full weekend since the end of the state of alarm.
Catalonia has seen a spike in social life in the past week, beginning on the stroke of midnight Saturday into Sunday, the minute the nightly curfew came to an end.
From 8 pm this weekend, areas that generally see large groups of people such as the beach, squares in Born, Gótico, Raval, Sants-Montjuïc, and Gràcia will have extra police patrols to break up crowds.
The current Covid-19 restrictions in place determine that only six people can meet up at a given time.
Bars and restaurants will be open until 11pm this weekend, something that the city's deputy mayor in charge of Security, Albert Batlle, believes will help decongest public spaces in a "more orderly way."
Police will also check that the capacity limits are met and that no alcohol is sold after 11pm.
The steady success of the vaccine rollout has allowed for a partial return of such social activity, with 30% of the Catalan population now vaccinated with at least one dose.
Additionally, some other Covid restrictions have been loosened on Friday, allowing bars and restaurants to open from 6 am and capacity limits relaxed in shops and cultural events. These changes will come into effect on May 24.