Descaling: The Generalitat requests for Barcelona an intermediate phase in which it can be purchased without an appointment | Catalonia

The Generalitat will ask the Ministry of Health for Barcelona and its metropolitan environment, which total 5.1 million inhabitants, a phase for de-escalation in the coronavirus crisis intermediate between the current one (phase zero) and phase 1. The Govern has called phase 0.5 in which the restrictions will be partially relaxed. The proposal includes, for example, that you can go shopping without making an appointment; or go to worship centers or libraries with a third of the capacity; or open schools “in the administrative phase” for pre-enrollment. The proposal also incorporates making the presence of family members at funerals more flexible.

The Minister of Health, Alba Vergés, recalled that the three health regions that correspond to Barcelona, ​​and its north and south metropolitan areas, are in a health situation of moderate or low risk, but she has referred to its high population density or gap in issues such as income or life expectancy; and the great mobility that occurs in the area. “These factors call for prudence, a progressive confinement, not doing so would also mean not following cases,” he said.

The Generalitat proposed on Wednesday night to the Ministry of Health that they also go to phase 1 of the de-escalation of the coronavirus crisis in three areas around Barcelona. They are the regions of Alt Penedès and Garraf (which belong to the sanitary region of the southern metropolitan area) and the area called Baix Montseny (of the northern metropolitan area). This proposal, confirmed by the Health department and comprising a territory with some 300,000 inhabitants, would mean breaking up the health regions, something that until now had not been proposed by the Catalan health authorities.

The Minister of Health, Alba Vergés, and the Mayor of Barcelona, ​​Ada Colau, are planning to make public this Thursday their proposal for specific and gradual de-escalation for the Catalan capital and its surroundings. The two Administrations understand that although the health indicators are positive, the city should be treated specifically due to its population density and the difficulty of controlling the mobility it generates.

The news comes a day after the Generalitat proposed to the Ministry of Health that the health regions of Lleida, Girona and central Catalonia join phase 1 next Monday, in which Tarragona and the Lleida Pyrenees are already from May 11. The Government considered that the Catalan capital and its surroundings are not yet ready to start the lack of confidence, although it admitted that they were working to take some specific and intermediate measure in the coming days for Barcelona and the metropolitan area.

This same Wednesday, the head of the Epidemiology Service of the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, ​​Antoni Trilla, has recommended waiting “five or seven more days” to help Barcelona and the 35 surrounding municipalities control mobility and “move en bloc to the phase 1”.

It was just a week ago, on May 7, when the Barcelona City Council and the Govern announced the creation of an institutional coordination committee, a joint office, in view of the de-escalation process. The two Administrations wanted to give an image of institutional unity and Vergés promised to share information and decisions about when the city is ready to go to phase 1 of the de-escalation. And, without advancing any date, they agreed that the health situation of the city was positive to jump phase soon: “Hopefully it will be a matter of days, but we must do it with guarantees,” said the mayor then. “We want it to be as soon as possible, but we want to do it well, we do not want to wait long, but we must act with caution,” said the counselor.

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