James Warren
TOWNS in the southern region of Cordoba are to be closed off from midnight Thursday (00:00), according to the latest announcement from the Junta.
All municipalities in the southern region of Cordoba will have border closures and residents will not be permitted to leave or enter except for exceptional circumstances.
The southern health zone of the province is the most populated zone, and with rising cases throughout, Junta president Juan Moreno gave the orders in a televised speech this evening.
It is not yet confirmed to whether the restrictions will be enforced by police checkpoints on border entrances.
The lockdown affects the Campina Sur, Guadajoz and Subbetica areas and will be enforced in approximately 30 towns.
The full list is:
Aguilar de la Frontera, Almedinilla, Baena, Benameji, Cabra, Carcabuey, Castro del Rio, Doña Mencia, Encinas Reales, Espejo, Fernan Nuñez, Fuente Tojar, La Guijarrosa, Iznájar, Lucena, Luque, Montalban , Montemayor, Montilla, Monturque, Moriles, Nueva Carteya, Palenciana, Priego de Córdoba, Puente Genil, La Rambla, Rute, Santaella and Zuheros.
The Junta has also authorised the closure of all hospitality businesses at 10.30pm and limited social gatherings to six people except for cohabitants.
Cordoba province has recorded 416 cases per 100,000 people over the past two weeks.
The Junta is still considering the closure of Cordoba capital which has registered 515 cases per 100,000 people, however the decision to blanket close the southern region is simply down to demographics.
The areas, particularly rural, have the most concentrated population of over 65s and multi-person households, key factors in the spread of the virus.
