Catalonia has registered sixteen new cases of African Swine Fever (ASF) in wild boars this week, bringing the total confirmed cases to 284. The virus has now reached Castellbisbal in Vallès Occidental, making it the nineteenth municipality with restrictions on access to natural areas. The Catalan government's Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, Òscar Ordeig, confirmed these figures today. He also announced that the Generalitat had begun issuing the first nine fines to individuals who had breached the boundaries of the infected zone. Of the sixteen new positive cases, five were found in Molins de Rei, three in El Papiol, four in Sant Cugat del Vallès, and three in Barcelona city. The case in Castellbisbal remains within the area contained by the AP-7 and A-2 motorways, a factor the Generalitat believes helps to limit its spread. The outbreak now affects a total of nineteen municipalities. These include Badia del Vallès, Barberà del Vallès, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Sant Quirze del Vallès, Cerdanyola del Vallès, El Papiol, Molins de Rei, Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Esplugues de Llobregat, Montcada i Reixac, Polinyà, Ripollet, Rubí, Sabadell, Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, Terrassa, Sant Just Desvern, Castellbisbal, the Barcelona enclave, and the access points to Collserola Natural Park. Regarding Castellbisbal joining the list of infected areas, Minister Ordeig called for calm. He stated that the resolution imposing restrictions on access to the natural environment had been published and the mayor of Castellbisbal had been informed. Ordeig ruled out a partial reopening of Collserola Natural Park in the short term, reiterating, "We cannot relax. The crisis is not over." He stressed the importance of public cooperation, noting that authorities would sanction all those who failed to comply with the restrictions. ## Intensified Measures to Combat Spread According to the minister, sanitary culling of wild boars has been intensified in the 'zero zone' with the aim of completing it "as soon as possible" to prevent the infection from moving north. The government has also installed physical barriers around the A-2/B-40 axis to make it harder for the animals to move. Ordeig also offered an optimistic message to the pig farming sector. He highlighted recent agreements, such as the expansion of cured product and stomach exports to China. He added that pork prices were nearing pre-crisis levels, currently only three cents per kilo below the initial price. ## New Resources Deployed Against ASF The Department of Agriculture has established an emergency contract with the public company Tragsa, valued at seven million euros. This initiative will allow for the incorporation of 170 new personnel into the fight against African Swine Fever, with forty of them starting work next week. Additionally, 57 Pig Brig traps and 51 all-terrain vehicles will be added to the effort. This new team will undertake tasks such as intensive searching for wild boar carcasses across an area of approximately 1,050 km², primarily using specialised teams and canine units, alongside mass animal capture.