The northeastern Spanish region of Catalonia won court approval for a night curfew on Thursday as Madrid pledged to distribute millions more test kits to tackle the Omicron variant that is driving up infections and overshadowing Christmas.
Spain lifted most restrictions over the summer thanks to a high vaccination rate that suppressed infection but Omicron's arrival has sent daily cases soaring to reach a record of more than 72,900 on Thursday.
Southern Murcia told non-essential businesses to shut at 1 a.m., severely curtailing revelry in a country where bars and restaurants routinely stay open until the small hours. Lopez Miras's administration also banned dancing in nightclubs and limited the size of dinners to 10 people inside and 12 on terraces.FILE PHOTO:Nick Julian Benzal, 11 years old, receives his first dose of "Comirnaty" Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine against coronavirus disease at Hospital Espiritu Santo in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, north to Barcelona, Spain December 21, 2021.
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