Catalonia brings back clubbing as COVID cases plunge

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - The Spanish region of Catalonia is reopening nightclubs at midnight Thursday without capacity limits or COVID-19 certificates.

The region’s discotheques were fully shut down around two months ago as the number of coronavirus infections reached dizzying highs.

But new cases are plummeting across Spain. The infection rate has been cut in half from its peak in mid-January, and it now sits at 1,692 cases per 100,000 people over the last two weeks.

In total, Catalonia, a region famed for its nightlife, has prohibited nightclubs from opening their doors for 569 days since the pandemic began.

In total, the region’s nightlife sector has incurred losses of almost €6.5 billion ($7.41 billion) since COVID-19 first emerged, according to the industry association Fecasarm.

Although the government has yet to announce an end to restrictions, the situation is returning to normal.

Thursday was also the first day that masks were no longer required outdoors across Spain.

However, most of the rules are dictated by regional governments, who are slowly phasing out preventative measures.

This weekend, the region of Galicia will remove time restrictions on the hospitality sector, allowing bars and nightclubs to stay open until the wee hours of the morning.

Meanwhile, the Balearic Islands are scrapping COVID-19 certificates in the days to come, and the region of Navarre is getting rid of all COVID-19 restrictions.

Indoor masking will remain as a minimum across the country.

While the Spanish government has mentioned treating coronavirus as an endemic virus like the flu, its leaders have not publicly floated the idea of getting rid of masks altogether anytime soon.