Spain Records The Deadliest COVID Surge In Months After Lifting Lockdown

The novel coronavirus is witnessing a growth spurt of sorts in Spain, barely three weeks since the lockdown was lifted. Recent data released by the health ministry on Monday shed light on the spike in fresh clusters spreading across the regions of Catalonia and Aragon.

While the start of April marked an all-time high in the rate of infections and fatalities, things began looking up for the country as soon as it went into lockdown.

Fast forward to July, and the eased lockdown has backfired -- approximately 201 new clusters have appeared in high concentrations across the Catalan cities of Barcelona and Lleida. Health minister Salvador Illa urged residents to follow health guidelines and stay indoors for as long as possible as the reality continues to look grim. Additionally, the national health directive has imposed firm orders to ensure everyone wears a face mask, even when the social-distancing is followed.

The surge is being attributed to a host of factors -- namely, an active nightlife, packed beaches, traffic spots, and nightclubs that involve poor ventilation and little scope for social distancing. The impoverished conditions of migrant workers have added to the misery, given their inaccessibility to hygienic living conditions compounded by their inability to socially distance.

As per a recent report, the local health authority of Cordoba maintained that 83 people were tested positive for COVID-19 after scores of students partied, flouting the rules, at a nightclub in the city.

“Where measures have been relaxed is where these clusters appear,” Illa said during a recent media meet. “We’re talking about gatherings of extended family and spaces associated with nightlife,” he added.

The Catalan regional government reiterated the importance of staying indoors to residents for as long as they could –in addition to the mandatory confinement of at least 160,000 people around Lleida.

Firm notices are being to discourage gatherings comprising more than 10 people. Over the weekend alone, a fresh count of 4,581 new cases and over 28,000 deaths were recorded, bringing the infections rate to 264,836. Furthermore, what’s distressing to note is the occurrence of the viral outbreak has risen from 8 per 100,000 cases to 27 per 100,000 cases, as suggested by the deputy health emergency chief Maria Sierra.