COVID-19, questions and answers
21/04/2022
General information on COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019)
This information is under constant review
- 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).Its use is mandatory for all people aged six or older in public transport, health centers, pharmacies and residences for the elderly and in case of symptoms compatible with COVID-19 or other respiratory diseases. Use is recommended for people with a risk condition, those who have been in close contact with a person with COVID-19, for ten days after contact, and when caring for a sick or suspected sick person.
- 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.
- Currently, confirmed cases from the general population, with or without symptoms, are no longer required to undergo mandatory isolation. However, the recommendation if you have symptoms of the disease is to stay home and avoid contact with other people.
You can find more information on the Government of Catalonia’s Health Channel:
You can find more information about the COVID-19 vaccine and the vaccination process at:
Government of Catalonia’s Health Channel:
Currently, confirmed cases from the general population, with or without symptoms, are no longer required to undergo mandatory isolation. However, the recommendation if you have symptoms of the disease is to stay home and avoid contact with other people.
If you have symptoms of COVID-19, it is not necessary to carry out any diagnostic test (PCR or antigen test), except if:
- They are vulnerable people: they are 60 years old or older, their immune system is weakened or they are pregnant.
- They have contact with vulnerable people: Whether they live with or care for them, such as those who work in a health or socio-health center, in any other device or care center for this group, or in a health transport unit.
- They have severe symptoms.
- They have traveled in the last fourteen days to a region where a new variant of the virus is circulating.
In these cases, it is necessary to contact the reference health professional who must assess the case and the advisability of carrying out a diagnostic test.
People with mild symptoms who do not meet these criteria, and those who have a positive test result, should:
- Stay home until symptoms subside.
- Take extreme precautions: reduce social interactions as much as possible, constantly use the mask and maintain adequate hand hygiene for ten days after the onset of symptoms.
- Especially avoid contact with vulnerable people and crowded events.
- Work remotely whenever possible.
- If the symptoms worsen, contact the reference healthcare professional.
- If you take an antigen test at home and it is positive, you do not need to report your results.
- Notify the positive to close contacts.
You can find more information on the Government of Catalonia’s Health Channel:
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?
Close contacts of the general population do not have to be tested or quarantined. However, in the ten days after exposure, it is recommended:
- Avoid contact with vulnerable people
- Avoid social interaction as much as possible and do not attend crowded events.
- Maintain protection measures (mask and distance).
The monitoring of close contacts by the health system and the performance of diagnostic tests on these contacts is activated when a suspected case belongs to one of the groups considered vulnerable and the positive result is confirmed.
You can find more information on the Government of Catalonia’s Health Channel:
The virus known as SARS-CoV-2 is a coronavirus that can affect people. 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:
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. It is more common in people in their 40s and affects more women than men.
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:
The ContacteCovid.cat tool is currently available to identify close contacts of COVID-19, through an SMS that they will receive on their mobile.
To find out what it is and how it works, you can visit:
On the Generalitat de Catalunya Health Channel there are available too other tools and resources, as well as health recommendations:
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:
You can find more information on the Government of Catalonia’s Health Channel:
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: