Government requests only to go out when essential and insists supply is guaranteed

Officials underline importance of reducing mobility in Catalonia

A children's park in western Catalonia empty after neighbors stay at home during the coronavirus crisis, March 2020 (by Anna Berga)
A children's park in western Catalonia empty after neighbors stay at home during the coronavirus crisis, March 2020 (by Anna Berga) / ACN

ACN | Barcelona

March 14, 2020 10:53 AM

The interior ministry and Civil Protection ask citizens and residents of Catalonia not to leave their homes unless absolutely essential, and the Government asks for no mobility around Catalonia.

On Friday night, the Catalan executive called for a lockdown on all travel in and out of Catalonia. Earlier, the interior minister Miquel Buch had ordered the closure of public spaces, including bars, restaurants, gyms, shopping centers, and more, coming into effect as of midnight Friday into Saturday. 

Officials also insist that supplies of food and basic goods are guaranteed. "Food distribution is considered an essential service and the arrival of commodities is coordinated with distribution platforms," instructions from the Civil Protection point out. 

It is not recommended to bring children to the park, nor to go to see family, friends, or neighbors at their homes.

To the question of whether it is okay to meet with people on the street, the Government responded yes "if they are occasional and short meetings in open spaces, always keeping distances and measures of protection and security."

Care for those who need it is guaranteed, officials also say. The Government also says that bars, restaurants, cinemas, theaters, libraries, museums and shopping centers, will be closed unless they sell basic needs such as food, hygiene, or cleaning products.

The instruction also emphasizes that although public transport is still functioning, but to a third of its normal frequency, its use is not recommended. It also calls for postponing appointments with doctors or rehabs.

From Saturday, the Spanish government will officially declare a state of alarm across the entire territory of Spain, which will give them exceptional powers such as limiting free movement of people and the temporary confiscation of goods.