Barcelona authorities urge residents to stay home, without imposing lockdown

Residents of Barcelona were urged to stay home and not gather in groups of more than 10 on Friday as a way to curb a rise in coronavirus cases. However, regional authorities stopped short of imposing a mandatory lockdown.

“We recommend that people don’t move around if it’s not absolutely necessary,” Catalonia's health chief Alba Verges said. “It is very important to respect these measures now, it's the best way to avoid a lockdown.”

Museums will remain open in the Catalan capital, one of Europe’s most visited cities.

Barcelona has seen its number of coronavirus cases jump from last week. Spain reported the steepest daily jump in coronavirus infections in over two months on Thursday, with 580 new cases registered, Reuters said. Catalonia and neighboring Aragon have led the increase.