New COVID-19 cases in Spain surge past 3,000

OVIEDO, Spain

The number of new COVID-19 cases in Spain shattered post-lockdown records for the second day in a row, with the Health Ministry reporting 3,092 new cases on Friday.

Over the last two weeks, 27,020 people have been infected with the disease, a three-fold increase compared to a fortnight ago.

Meanwhile, virus hotspots are beginning to shift.

Aragon in northeastern Spain is reporting a rising number of cases with 173 people hospitalized within last week.

On the other hand, the pace of new contagions in Catalonia remains high but stable, with weekly infections in the region at 5,008.

Madrid, however, continues to see a rapid surge in new infections. Over the last week, Spain’s capital has confirmed 2,074 cases. Last Friday, the weekly total was at 789.

All other Spanish regions, with the exception of Navarra and La Rioja, have also seen an increase in weekly totals compared to last Friday.

With the uptick in cases, Germany moved to put Catalonia, Navarra and Aragon on its high-risk list on Friday, meaning arrivals from those regions will either have to present a negative coronavirus test or quarantine when they land in Germany.

Earlier this week, the UK announced a quarantine on all arrivals from Spain, angering Spanish officials who were caught off guard and depending on the British market to help save the summer tourism season.

Meanwhile on Friday, the Catalan High Court of Justice struck down another measure passed by the regional authority to control the virus’ spread.

The court ruled that bars and nightclubs in the area cannot be forced to close down at midnight, a measure that the Catalan government passed earlier this week.

Earlier, the same court ruled that gyms, movie theaters and sports centers should re-open, again knocking down the government restrictions.