In a parliamentary control session this morning, President Quim Torra defended the Catalan government’s management of the Covid-19 crisis, insisting that it had acted “decisively, with responsibility, forethought and transparency,” throughout the crisis.

The president said the government had taken all of the actions recommended by experts and made saving lives its top priority. He also said that the government had engaged in self-criticism when necessary, citing as an example its recognition of the need to keep local councils fully informed.

In reference to the current situation with respect to the pandemic, the president said the situation was “worrying” in many areas of Catalonia but far less serious than in March as there is now less strain on the hospital system. As for the situation in Lleida, the focus of a recent outbreak, Torra said: “The situation appears to be stabilising, and we hope to bend the curve downward this weekend.” He also said he was confident that the situation in the metropolitan area of Barcelona would improve.

Call for unity in the independence movement

In response to a question from the Catalan Republican Left (ERC) group, the president once again stressed the importance of unity in the independence movement. Torra again raised his proposal to hold another self-determination referendum and said he was confident that such a vote would serve to unify pro-independence forces.

With respect to the judicialisation of the response to the sovereigntist movement, the head of the executive lamented that “in the last 48 hours, independence supporters have had to appear before the High Court of Justice of Catalonia, the National High Court and the Spanish Supreme Court,” noting that this is happening under a government that purports to be “the most progressive in history”. He asked: “What’s changed in the last two years? We’re exactly where we were.”