Coronavirus Spain: Catalan president worried that Lifting total lockdown now could ‘increase transmissions’

IN a letter to Spanish President Pedro Sanchez, the Catalan government has insisted that the total lockdown should not be lifted from April 13, as Spain’s executive officially approved on Saturday.

All non-essential services will be allowed to work from Monday in the whole of Spain, which means that in Catalonia, around 900,000 to one million people might be forced to go to their workplace from Tuesday, as Monday is a bank holiday in Catalonia.

On Sunday morning, the Catalan president, Quim Torra, sent a letter to Spain’s leader, Pedro Sánchez, saying that according to the reports with which his executive work, “lifting these confinement measures from tomorrow, next Monday, April 13 will lead to an increase of transmissions and a collapse of Catalonia’s health system.”

The president voiced concerns that they could be putting workers in harm’s way, and maybe even cause more deaths.

Torra originally asked Sánchez to maintain the measures in place from March 30, including the prohibition to leave home to work except those providing essential services something already requested by Catalonia since mid-March.

“We request that you send us the health and epidemiological reports that Spain’s government has in order to lift the measures,” the letter reads.

Torra says that his stance is backed by scientists and researchers in Catalonia, as well as the health department experts, the government’s advising committee of experts, almost all officials of hospitals, professional associations and other entities representing the health sector in the country.