On Friday, Jan. 28, Catalonia will stop asking for COVID passports in bars, restaurants and gyms because of a lack of effectiveness. The document was mandatory for indoor spaces only. Outdoor spaces have not required the passports.

According to the Generalitat's COVID commission, the Omicron variant "has been shown to have immune escape and thus decrease the prevention of infection, compared to the Delta variant," which was the most prevalent variant when the passports became mandatory.

The Goverment of Catalonia announced a meeting of the delegated commission of COVID for this Thursday, Jan. 27 at 8 a.m., to agree on whether it was necessary to extend the COVID passport for another week. Finally, the decision came after considering that an important part of the population will be susceptible to infection, regardless of vaccination.

The Official Journal of the Generalitat has confirmed the regulatory change which, together with the elimination of the night curfew and the 10-person limit on gatherings, means a further step in the relaxation of restrictions. 

Restrictions on nightlife in Catalonia are still in place, and will remain closed for at least another week until the Government announces a date for the reopening of nightclubs. On Feb. 11, it is expected that nightlife can resume its normal activities.

Starting Friday, Jan. 28, a COVID passport will only be mandatory for travel.