New Covid-19 infections in the L’Hospitalet de Llobregat district of Barcelona have more than tripled in the last week from 30 to over 100 and some of the new cases are in a Nursing Home, according to Barcelona Mayor, Nuria Marín who said she is very concerned about the increase.
The outbreak affects the northern part of the city, with cases confirmed in the La Torrassa, Collblanc, La Florida and Pubilla Casas neighbourhoods.
The number of cases in La Torrassa has soared from 4 to 37 in a week, said Mayor Marín, who confirmed that health protocols have been activated at the Nursing Home.
"Those infected in this neighbourhood are part of family nuclei and, in principle, everyone is controlled, she stressed. “The outbreak is not like in the Segrià region, but it is bad news.”
She has also proposed creating a Monitoring Committee in conjunction with the Ministry of Health.
L'Hospitalet is Catalonia’s second city, with around 265,000 inhabitants and at 21,053 people per square kilometre, has one of the highest densities in Spain. It also borders Barcelona and three other Municipalities in the heart of the metropolitan area.
"You have to be proactive," insists Mayor Marín. “We are surrounded by Municipalities, so it is necessary to take measures to contain it in L'Hospitalet, but the reality is that public transport, work and leisure activity makes that difficult.”
Local Police, Civil Protection Police, and volunteers have been deployed throughout the city to report on the situation and to find out where and how those who are infected are living.
Mayor Marín said it is important to know the addresses of those infected and whether they meet isolation conditions and pointed out that the city's Primary Care Centres are open.
She also appealed to people to follow the health and safety protocols designed to curb the virus, by respecting social distancing and wearing a face mask.
“After such a strict lockdown in Spain there’s now a risk that outbreaks like this could undo all the progress we’ve made,” said Mayor Marín.