As coronavirus cases begin to surge again in Spain, restaurants and bars in Rioja’s two largest towns – Logroño and Aguado – have been ordered to close.
As reported by Reuters, on Tuesday hospitality venues in Logroño and Aguado were told to close for a month in a bid to curb the rising tide of Covid infections. Residents of the towns, which account for over half of Rioja’s 300,000 population, are also barred from leaving their houses for non-essential reasons.
“Experts tell us the outbreaks come mostly from relaxing in closed spaces when we consume food and drink and take off our masks,” president of La Rioja region, Concha Andreu, told Reuters.
The total number of deaths in Spain from coronavirus stands at 35,466, with nearly 1.2 million residents currently battling the virus.
A nationwide curfew has been in place in Spain since Sunday. The curfew will run until 9 November, after which point it will be up to individual regions to decide whether to continue with the restrictions.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that Spain was in a state of emergency on Sunday morning, which could remain in force until 9 May 2021. The decree allows Spain’s regional governments to order an overnight curfew to run from 11pm to 6am.
