Spain shuts down nightlife amid fears of major second wave of coronavirus

Spain on Friday shuttered its nightlife and extended restrictions on smoking across the country amid fears of a major second wave of coronavirus.  

The nation-wide measures were the first to be decreed since the country exited a state of emergency almost two months ago.  

Health Minister Salvador Illa ordered all night-clubs to close and bars and restaurants to shut by 1am each night, after an emergency meeting of officials from all of Spain’s 17 regions.  

The meeting followed the largest single-day rise of coronavirus cases since April on Wednesday, when a jump of 1,700 infections was recorded.  

With 70 per cent of all new positive cases among the under-30s, Mr Illa reminded the young that so-called botellones – outdoor drinking parties – are illegal.  

“I want to address the young to underline the importance of being disciplined,” Mr Illa said.

“There is no way we cannot follow the rules. Let it be clear: drinking in the street is forbidden.”  

Among eleven new national regulations was a ban on smoking in the street unless a 2m distance can be maintained, following a rule introduced in the region of Galicia earlier this week.  

In addition, Mr Illa declared a maximum of 10 people may meet at bars or restaurants.  

He also recommended that Spaniards refrain from mixing with people outside their social group and keep any gatherings at home to the same maximum of 10 people.  

“These measures are a minimum, not a maximum. Regions can take more restrictive measures,” Mr Illa said.  

Figures released on Friday confirmed the rising trend in cases, with 2,987 new positives registered in the previous 24 hours. The number of deaths from Covid-19 in the past week remained stable, however, at 62.  

The country’s official death toll stands at 28,617, but excess deaths since March suggest that around 44,000 people have died from Covid-19 in Spain.  

After crushing the infection-rate with a draconian three-month lockdown until June, Spain has seen outbreaks sprout up to the point that community transmission is now occurring again in major cities including Zaragoza.    

Madrid, criticised for a lack of testing and contact tracing, on Friday announced that it would start random testing in six areas where high numbers have been detected.  

The authorities’ claim that the rising caseload reflects wider testing has been undermined by an increase in the proportion of positive tests, from under two per cent to eight per cent in the past month.  

Amid fears that the summer uptick could spark a full-blown second wave in September, the government’s Covid-19 spokesman Fernando Simón admitted that closing some or even all schools across the country was a risk.  

“September will be critical because with the return from holidays, going back to work and the reopening of schools, people’s social bubbles will change,” Mr Simón said.  

Catalonia has revealed its plans to keep children and teachers in class bubbles, with a single positive test result meaning all members must quarantine for two weeks.

The Spanish government also moved to increase mandatory testing of new residents and workers returning from holidays in the country’s care homes for the elderly, the epicentre of Spain’s coronavirus tragedy where around 20,000 pensioners are calculated to have died from the disease.

In recent days scores of residences across Spain have again registered cases, with the health authorities in Andalusia announcing an urgent intervention in El Zapillo care home in Almería after 47 people tested positive.