Spain's northeastern Catalonia region has locked down an area with around 200,000 residents near the town of Lerida following a surge in cases of the new coronavirus.
The move came as the summer holiday started in Spain and the country began re-admitting foreign visitors from 12 countries outside the European Union.
It had already opened its frontiers to people from the EU's visa-free Schengen zone and Britain on 21 June. "We have decided to confine the del Segria zone following data confirming a sharp rise in Covid-19 infections," Catalonia's regional president Quim Torra told reporters.
He added that no one would be allowed to enter or leave the area. Regional health minister Alba Verges said gatherings of more than ten people and visits