Spain holidays have always been a favourite among Britons who enjoy the country’s food, culture and scenery. And while flights to the country are cheap, Britons are taking advantage. But some countries in Europe are experiencing a sudden spike in coronavirus cases again after opening their doors to tourists.

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Spain, in particular, is experiencing a sudden spike in its region of Catalonia which is also home to the country’s third-largest city of Barcelona.

In fact, the number of coronavirus cases in Spain has tripled over the last few weeks since the country eased its lockdown rules.

As the situation in Catalonia worsens, the region has now extended its restrictions.

The region has now ordered the closure of nightclubs, suspended cultural and sports events for two weeks and has banned gatherings of more than 10 people.

Late night bars have also closed with gambling halls and casino halls running with reduced hours.

The new restrictions have reportedly been imposed for at least 15 days.

Some of the main areas where the virus has spiked will see hours at restaurants and bars also cut.

Spain recorded 2,255 new cases of the virus on Friday.

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A Spanish epidemiologist called Andrea Buron has told the BBC that the infections are predominantly among young people as they were gathering in groups.

She explained that outbreaks in cities including Barcelona, Zaragoza and Madrid were because of large gatherings.

They are “not only official places like discos and so on, but also gatherings on the street, at beaches and so on”.

The worst affected community is Aragon with 2,113 infections in the last seven days followed by Catalonia, Madrid, Navarra and Andalusia.

Other regions which are suffering include Barcelona and Zaragoza.

Catalonia alone has had 1,343 new infections in the last 24 hours.

However, Spain is currently exempt from Foreign Office (FCO) advice against all “non-essential international travel”.

The FCO updated their advice earlier this week and said that they were monitoring the situation in the regions.

They said: “Public Health England are monitoring recent reports of substantial increases in cases of COVID-19 in the regions of Aragon and Catalonia (which include the cities of Zaragoza and Barcelona).”

It added: “A small number of local outbreaks of COVID-19 have been identified in Spain since the end of the State of Alarm. You should consult the Ministry of Health map for information on their locations.

“If you are staying in any of the affected areas, follow the advice of the local authorities.

One of those outbreaks has affected parts of Catalonia (namely parts of Barcelona metropolitan area, and the areas of La Noguera and El Segria), where local authorities have asked residents only to leave their accommodation for essential activities.

“Meetings of more than 10 people in public or private are prohibited, and the authorities have ordered the closures of nightclubs, gyms, and restrictions to the capacity and opening hours of bars and restaurants.

“These measures will be in place until August 1.”

Spain’s total cases are 319,501, which is above the UK’s 298,681 cases.

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