People gathered by the hundreds across several cities in Spain overnight as the country’s 11 PM curfew was lifted, thus ending the six-month state of emergency to combat the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
For 13 of the 17 regions, curfew restrictions ended at midnight and people understandably wanted to celebrate. However, safety measures of wearing masks, social distancing, and limiting group gatherings to six were blatantly ignored by revelers in Madrid and Barcelona.
In the capital Madrid, people took to the streets, joining together to dance and sing at Puerta del Sol square and authorities had to shut it down.
Meanwhile, police patrolled a packed out Barcelona beach warning partiers they were forbidden to gather in groups of more than six people.
Footage obtained by CNN shows large crowds in both cities before the parties were broken up (see here).
According to data retrieved by CNN, nearly 28% of the population, or 13.2 million, have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 12.6% have been fully vaccinated.
Source: CNN