Cerdanya and Ripollès counties ask for 'urgent' government aid on first day of lockdown
Mobility restrictions and other measures in place until at least January 6
The Pyrenean counties of Cerdanya and Ripollès, on lockdown since last night at midnight after Catalan authorities announced the restriction in a last-minute press conference on Tuesday evening, have already asked for "urgent" government aid to face the economic loss this move will entail right before Christmas.
People are only allowed to enter and leave these counties for work, health reasons, to care for dependents, schooling, or reasons of force majeure from December 23 to at least January 6. In addition to this, restaurants must remain shut, as is also the case of indoor sports centers and cultural venues excluding museums and libraries
In these mountainous regions, where many urbanites have second homes, especially in Cerdanya, and where visitors flock to in the winter to make the most of the ski season, these measures are likely to deal an economic blow to a number of businesses.
Indeed, restaurant owners and workers in Cerdanya took to the streets of Puigcerdà, near the French border, to protest the lockdown the first morning it was in effect.
"There are entire families that live off of this," lamented Nativitat Bover, the president of Cerdanya's bars and restaurants association, calling the lockdown "outrageous."
On Wednesday evening, authorities announced they would be approving a €4.3 million aid package for restaurants, tourist establishments, and shops in both counties next week.
Covid-19 surge in Cerdanya and Ripollès
These severe restrictions come as the outbreak risk in Cerdanya is 3,521 and that of Ripollès is 1,907—well above the average of Catalonia as a whole, which currently stands at 349. Health authorities already consider an outbreak risk of over 100 to be 'high'.
Other figures are considerably worse in these counties, where hospitals are already under increased pressure, including the number of Covid-19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over the past 14 days: 1,223 in Cerdanya and 802 in Ripollès compared to Catalonia's 280.14.