The president of the Government of Catalonia, Quim Torra, has announced that the Executive Council will hold an extraordinary meeting this afternoon to approve a plan of measures to mitigate the effects of the Spanish government’s decision to lift of the total lockdown from tomorrow. The head of the government said the decision taken by the Spanish executive was “irresponsible and reckless” and not supported by experts in Spain or abroad. In this context, he said: “We won’t sit back and do nothing. We’re determined to do everything possible to ensure the safety and protect the health and lives of our citizens.”

During the press briefing, held following a meeting between Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Spain’s regional presidents this morning, President Torra said the planned measures had been adopted by the technical committee responsible for Catalonia’s civil protection plan and that preparations had been under way for several days “in anticipation of this misstep by the Spanish government”.

The head of the executive said the plan “sets out a strategy with a social perspective”. In the first stage, the focus will be on four lines of action: health control based on the tests available; co-responsibility of the public, including individual protection measures, action and daily disinfection protocols, use of face masks and physical distancing; mandatory measures to avoid crowding in the workplace, on public transport and in commercial establishments; and the adaptation of measures for the most vulnerable groups, including the elderly, people who require care and children.

President Torra said there was still time for the Spanish government to “correct its mistake”, warning that “the risk of a resurgence and a second lockdown is huge”. He said the Spanish government’s decision “puts at risk the health recovery, leaves thousands of workers unprotected, and leaves business owners and the self-employed vulnerable”.

Torra stressed: “We will take all the measures in our power to take care of people who can no longer stay home because they will have to return to the activity they were engaged in before the lockdown. We will take care of our citizens.”