You can find more information on the Government of Catalonia’s Health Channel:

• Measures for the containment of COVID-19 applicable in Catalonia

You can find more information on the Barcelona City Council website:

• #BCNcuida’t

You can follow the epidemiological evolution of COVID-19 in the city on the ASPB website #COVID19aldiaBCN

You can find more information about the COVID-19 vaccine and the vaccination process at:

Government of Catalonia’s Health Channel:

• Health Channel (COVID-19 vaccine)

• Wash your hands often (washing with soap and water or alcohol-based solutions).
• Keep a safety distance of 2 meters between people and avoid crowding.
• Put on your mask correctly (covering nose and mouth).. For the general population the use of masks is mandatory for people aged 6 and over, in outdoor areas where the distance of 1.5 m between people cannot be maintained, in any enclosed space for public use or open to the public and on public transport, regardless of the maintenance of the safety distanceand among people. For children from 3 to 5 years it is recommended.
• Ventilate indoor spaces often (minimum 10-15 minutes every hour with a minimum opening of 20 cm, especially after having a visit or in shared spaces.
• Reduce daily social contacts, keep the usual coexistence groups as stable as possible and avoid crowding.
• When coughing or sneezing, cover your nose and mouth with the inside of your elbow or with a disposable tissue that must be discarded immediately, and then wash your hands.
• Avoid sharing food or utensils (such as cutlery, glasses, napkins and handkerchiefs) or other items if they have not been properly cleaned.
• Clean, disinfect and ventilate the home
• You should not touch your mouth, nose or eyes after handling any objects, particularly in public places, without first washing your hands.
• We must protect in particular the people in the highest risk groups: the elderly and people with chronic diseases.
• The early detection and monitoring of positive cases and their contacts is key to maintaining control of the epidemic. In this sense, people with symptoms compatible with COVID-19 should contact the public health system and should follow both home and their close contact indications for home isolation.

You can find more information on the Government of Catalonia’s Health Channel:

• Prevention
• Assess the level of risk of the activities

The early detection and monitoring of positive cases and their contacts is key to maintaining control of the epidemic.

People with COVID-19 compatible symptoms are considered suspicious cases. They should stay home and isolate themselves and should contact their primary care team, except on weekends when they have to call 061. The healthcare professionals will decide what action to take and give you instructions.

• The doctor assesses the symptoms and, if necessary, performs a diagnostic test.
• They must identify and report on any persons with whom you may have had a close contact for the 48 hours prior to the symptoms. They can do this with the medical staff or through a form that you will receive by SMS or e-mail.
• They must do preventive isolation until the results of the test following the instructions of health professionals.
• The results of the test can be consulted through My Health.
• If the diagnosis has been obtained with a home-made ART, the positive result must be notified to the health system (through the eConsulta de La Meva Salut, citasalut.gencat.cat or if you have technological difficulties, by calling CAP or 061).

If the person is positive of COVID-19:

• They’ll get a SMS message and an e-mail or an information call.
• They should do a correct home isolation.
• Isolation of positive cases without symptoms or with mild symptoms is 7 days as long as at the end of this period they have no symptoms and at least three days have passed after the resolution of the symptoms. 
• They have to do a thorough follow up of your symptoms and if they get worse, they have to contact with their health professional.
• Once the isolation is over, they must take extreme precautions and reduce social interactions as much as possible, and use the mask constantly for up to 10 days. It is especially important to avoid contact with vulnerable people.

You can find more information on the Government of Catalonia’s Health Channel:

• Case detection and contact tracking

Close contact is considered to be any person who has been in the same place, for an accumulated time of 15 minutes or more in 24 h, at a distance of less than 2 meters of someone confirmed COVID-19, within 48 hours before of the onset of symptoms until the time of diagnosis.
If the person diagnosed with COVID-19 has not had symptoms, the 48 hours prior to the test will be considered.

Do you want to know if you are close contact of a positive case of COVID-19?

• Test of Salut: Soc contacte estret?

To people without a full vaccination schedule who are close contacts:

• Will be informed by a call or message and will be instructed on the steps to take.
• They should quarantine for 7 days following contact with a diagnosed case, restricting contact with cohabitants as much as possible and using a surgical mask in common areas. For example, if the last contact date was November 1st, the last day of quarantine will be November 8th.
• If  they have symptoms during this period, they must contact their primary care team, except on weekends when they have to call 061.
• If 7 days have elapsed since their last contact with the diagnosed case and they have had no symptoms, they can return to their usual routine. However, special caution between the 8th and 10th day is recommended, always with surgical mask, minimizing close contact and, if symptoms appear, immediate self-confinement.

You can find more information on the Government of Catalonia’s Health Channel:

• Case detection and contact tracking
• Close contacts 

People who have the vaccination schedule completed who has had in close contact:

• They should not quarantine but during the 10 days after contact, they have to watch out for symptoms consistent with a COVID-19 infection.
• They should avoid contact with vulnerable or unvaccinated people, avoid social interaction and mass events and maintain protective measures (mask and distance).
• If they have symptoms during this period they have to contact their primary care team, except on weekends when they have to call 061, and communicate that they are a close contact.

What is the vaccination schedule considered completed?

The vaccination schedule is considered completed in different ways depending on the vaccine administered, age or if COVID-19 has been suffered.

• Pfizer: 7 days after the second dose.
• Moderna and AstraZeneca: 14 days after the second dose.
• Janssen: 14 days after the dose.

People who have been diagnosed with COVID-19:

• People 65 and younger only need one dose to have the vaccination schedule completed. It is preferably administered 2 months after the diagnosis of COVID-19.
• People over 65 need both doses to have the vaccination schedule completed.

In Catalonia, a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is administered to people 40 years of age or older, people of any age vaccinated with Janssen, health and social care professionals, and people at risk. In the future, it is possible that these groups will be gradually expanded and that the necessary time has elapsed since the last dose of vaccine. These groups are selected in a coordinated manner within the scope of the State Vaccination Strategy.

You can find more information on the Government of Catalonia’s Health Channel:

• Close contacts 

Both people with mild symptoms compatible with COVID-19, and the close contacts of these people with whom they live, should isolate themselves from other people and take the measures indicated by healthcare professionals. The main aim of self-isolation measures is to keep the virus isolated and prevent it from spreading.

It is the healthcare professionals who will decide, by assessing the clinical criteria and the circumstances of the healthcare and social environment, whether a person is suitable for self-isolation at home. Healthcare professionals will monitor and remain in contact with the infected person.

The conditions of the house must allow the isolation of the person in a well-ventilated room and, if possible, the availability of a proper bath. Both personal hygiene and the cleaning of the house are very important. Cleaners must protect themselves with a mask and gloves, and wash their hands when finished.

The isolated person has to be available for the necessary medical evaluations, and both the person and his/her companions have to be able to apply correctly and consistently the basic measures of hygiene, prevention and control of the infection. Health services will provide all the necessary indications.

You can find more information on the Government of Catalonia’s Health Channel:

• Home isolation

The virus known as SARS-CoV-2 is a new type of coronavirus that can affect people, was first detected in December 2019 in the city of Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, and has gradually spread to other countries. The infection disease caused by this virus is known as COVID-19. In most cases it produces mild respiratory symptoms, but in others they can become severe and cause complications.

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, coughing and feeling of breathlessness. In some cases, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat, or digestive symptoms such as diarrhea and abdominal pain may also occur. In more severe cases, the infection can cause pneumonia, kidney failure, and even death. Some infected people infected do not develop any symptoms, either because the infection does not cause them or because they have not yet appeared.

The disease is spread mainly by inhalation or in direct contact with eyes, nose or mouth, with an infected person’s respiratory droplets. According to the most recent data, the symptoms of COVID-19 may take 1 to 14 days to appear, although they usually take 4 to 7 days. Transmission of the infection can occur 1-2 days before symptoms, throughout the symptomatic period, and up to 5-6 days later. It should be noted, however, that infected people can transmit the infection whether or not they have had symptoms.

The highest risk groups are people over 65 and people with chronic illnesses, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, cardíac or pulmonary disorders and people with congenital or acquired immunity problems. Pregnant women are also a special consideration group. These people and the people who they lives with must be specially protected from COVID-19.

You can find more information on the Government of Catalonia’s Health Channel:

• What is coronavirus SARS-CoV-2?

Some people who have had COVID-19 have persistent symptoms, beyond the usual duration, of 2 to 3 weeks.

Persistent symptoms are variable, heterogeneous, and affect various systems and tissues. In addition, they may change over time. The most common are exhausting, choking, coughing, taste and smell disorders, palpitations, muscle and joint pain, headache, insomnia, difficulty concentrating, digestive upset and the feeling of fever, but there are others as well. Anxiety and depression are also common and can occur as a result of the situation.

These symptoms may persist even in young people with no previous pathology or who have suffered moderate or mild conditions.

People who have passed COVID-19 and continue to experience any of these symptoms, beyond the usual duration, should not hesitate to contact their primary care center.

You can find more information on the Government of Catalonia’s Health Channel:

• Persistent symptoms of COVID-19

There are different digital applications and tools aimed at monitoring and controlling COVID-19:

• ContacteCovid.cat
• APP Radar COVID

On the Generalitat de Catalunya Health Channel there are available too other tools and resources, as well as health recommendations:

• GestioEmocional.cat
• La Meva Salut
• Non-face-to-face care resources
• People with mental health problems and addictions recomendations

You will also find general information on COVID-19 and on social and emotional support resources in the city on the Barcelona City Council website:

• BCNCuida’t

You can find more information on the Government of Catalonia’s Health Channel:

• Information fot professionals

You can find more information at the Spanish Ministry of Health:

• Documentos técnicos para profesionales [in Spanish]

There is a lot of misinformation on the internet and social media that promotes fear.

You will find quality, up-to-date information on the following links:

• Canal Salut de la Generalitat de Catalunya
• Ministerio de Sanidad, Consumo y Bienestar Social
• World Health Organization
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
• Coronavirus – European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
• Jons Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center