Elena Gocmen Rueda
POLICE clashed with dozens of young people who gathered in the streets to celebrate the end of a restrictive curfew in Spain’s northeastern region of Catalunya.
More than 200 youths were moved on by police after being mobilised by calls on social media to join a mass botellon planned in Barcelona’s Plaza de Virreina on Friday, January 21, when the curfew was lifted.
Footage shows the crowds gathering without masks and with no attempt at social distancing.
Police attempting to disperse the crowds were met with bottle throwing.
Others overturned rubbish containers.
Catalunya was the first region in Spain to reimpose strict curfew over the Christmas period, confining people in their homes between 1am and 6am from December 24 as infections soared.
Although the curfew has now been lifted, restrictions that included a limit on occupancy and early closing hours are still in place at night time venues. Social gatherings are also limited to a maximum group of ten people.
Catalunya maintains one of the highest infection rates in Spain with an accumulated incidence rate of 5.788 cases per 100,000 people,according to the latest data
More than 2,600 patients are currently being treated in Catalan hospitals for COVID with 509 admitted to Intensive Care Units (ICU) across the region.
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