Overview
- Protecció Civil of the Generalitat has recommended that people who can work from home do so on the days the Pope visits Barcelona province to reduce pressure on transport and public space.
- The Spanish Ministry of Labour had already urged companies in Madrid, Catalonia and the Canary Islands to facilitate teleworking to avoid mobility problems during the papal trip.
- The advice from Protecció Civil is nonbinding and comes from the department that reports to the Catalan interior ministry and activates the Procicat emergency plan.
- The recommendation reverses earlier statements by Generalitat spokesperson Sílvia Paneque, who previously rejected a telework advisory and said the government should guarantee mobility by boosting transport capacity.
- Authorities say they will run a centralized emergency coordination center, work with transport operators and try to keep university entrance exams and a planned teachers’ protest compatible with the papal visit.