April

Centres offering the Covid vaccine open across the country in the drive to reach herd immunity, while human rights activist Arcadi Oliveres passes away

April

1. Catalonia set up 500 Covid-19 mass vaccination sites across the country. The centre at the Fira de Barcelona convention venue was one of the largest sites, which health officials hoped would give the country the capacity to administer 500,000 doses a week and allow a return to normality in the short term.

2. The Catalan economist and activist for peace and social justice, Arcadi Oliveres, died in Sant Cugat on April 6 aged 75. Oliveres worked tirelessly for human rights, anti-globalisation and anti-war movements, and was president of the Christian association of humanist thought Justice and Peace for 13 years.

3. Catalonia celebrated a good Sant Jordi’s Day, despite the pandemic. A year after the annual book festival took place under lockdown, four million roses and a million books were sold at stalls in Catalonia’s streets and squares. The day was helped by good weather, which brought people out to celebrate.

4. Transport is responsible for 29% of the greenhouse gas emissions in Catalonia, and the government therefore decided to introduce a tax on CO2 emissions from motor vehicles in the autumn, affecting over 2.3 million vehicles. The Catalan government expects to collect over 67 million euros this year and 145 million from next year.

Enxaneta launched in space race

Enxaneta launched in space race.

Catalonia started its own space programme with the launch of its first nanosatellite, “Enxaneta”, sent into space from the Russian Federation. It will provide connectivity for the IoT (Internet of Things) and better monitoring of natural phenomena.