Spanish justice has prohibited Catalonia to reconfigure around 160,000 inhabitants in the Lleida region, but the Catalan leader, Quim Torra, nevertheless urged, on Monday 13 July, the people concerned to remain cloistered in their homes in the face of an upsurge cases of new coronavirus.

Quim Torra has announced that it will issue a new decree to make this local reconfiguration compulsory.

>> Read: Catalonia, Galicia, Valencia: Spain is reconfiguring and monitoring other clusters

Some of the most draconian containment measures in the world were implemented in March in Spain in the face of the sudden epidemic linked to the new coronavirus. They were gradually lifted in May, when the spread of the disease appeared to be under control, but numerous foci of contamination have since been discovered, notably in the north of the country, in Catalonia, where the authorities have taken strict measures to stem the epidemic, such as the compulsory wearing of masks in public spaces.

"Far beyond a simple limitation of movement"

The residents of the city of Lleida can no longer leave their homes since July 4, except for compelling reasons or to go to work.

However, one judge considered that the regional authorities' decision to impose this reconfiguration was excessive. "What is proposed today goes far beyond a simple limitation of movement and seriously affects the rights recognized by the Constitution," said judge Elena Garcia-Munoz Alarcos.

Quim Torra said that he simply could not accept this judgment, saying that these localized measures had been taken for the health of the citizens.

"It is a luxury to waste time with legal provisions. We cannot afford it," he said, inviting the Catalans from the Lleida region to stay at home.

With Reuters

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