From Spain, With Love: A Coronavirus Lockdown Cautionary Tale

My husband and I, our 10-month-old daughter, and our dog are on day one of a countrywide coronavirus lockdown.

For the next 15 days we can’t leave our apartment except for basic necessities. That includes groceries, medicine, and letting our dog (quickly) do his business. And even then, only one of us can go at a time.

Businesses have been asked to allow employees to telecommute, but workers that don’t have that capability are permitted to go to work.

An emergency branch of the military has been dispatched to ensure citizens who are out have a valid reason for doing so. In Madrid, the police are using drones to play a recorded message telling people to stay home.

Spain now has the fourth highest rate of coronavirus in the world. And, the region of Madrid, where we live, has around half of all the registered cases in the country.

My husband and I are both American, so while what’s happening to us may seem a world away from what’s happening back home, it will happen. It is happening, now as we speak. To all of our family, friends, and fellow Americans: Please, stay home.

I hope you are inundated with news, blog posts, videos and articles just like this one. So, please, take coronavirus seriously. Don’t just stay away from other people. Don’t just wash your hands. Stay home.

Spain, similar to the US, was slow to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

On March 8th, nearly 120,000 people marched in Madrid for International Women’s Day. That includes the Minister of Equality, who was reluctant to cancel the event, and ended up testing positive for the virus.

We’ve seen the news slowly ramp up. Starting with the first cases in the town next to ours, then in our city.

A week ago schools were closed in the region of Madrid. But instead of staying home, parents took their kids to neighborhood playgrounds. Families drove to nearby hiking trails whose parking lots were packed with cars. People enjoyed the unseasonably nice weather by going to outdoor cafes.

Things were getting worse, because the population as a whole wasn’t taking it seriously.

Police started taping off playgrounds and park benches. Restaurants and bars were closed. Fast forward to today, the first day of a countrywide coronavirus lockdown, and even with these lockdown measures in place, I see people in the street. Not a lot, nowhere near the usual, but enough to wonder if the lockdown measures need to be stricter.

People are still allowed to go to work, those who can’t telecommute are commuting as usual. Images on the news this morning showed metro stations brimming with people.

Spain’s response is far from perfect. As much as the government is trying to put measures in place, the damage is done. The question now is how severe of a price we’ll pay.

The reality of this new life has hit us.

It hasn’t hit the US yet.

My husband and I are constantly receiving updates to our phones from news sources, friends, and colleagues. Friends that have chosen for the past couple of weeks to avoid visiting their parents or grandparents for fear of spreading the virus. News broke today that the President of the Community of Madrid has tested positive. Friends of friends who have been admitted to the hospital (whether for coronavirus or not) are not allowed visitors. Imagine dropping your loved one off at the hospital and not knowing when -or if- you will see them again.

There have been over 300 deaths. The rate of new cases is well over 1,000 people each day. We are the next Italy -which has nearly 28,000 cases to date. The health care system there is so overburdened that hospitals don’t have enough personnel, beds, or medical supplies to care for everyone. The same is starting to happen here in our city.

The economy is going to take a downturn. Small businesses, even with the help the government is promising, are going to close. We’re not sure what our employment situation will be after this.

But there is an importance in thinking about the common good, putting the community first.

Especially in Spain, where people greet with kisses, personal space is almost nonexistent, and people live to socialize. Even with all of that, many Spaniards are trying their best to put others first.

#QuédateEnCasa

It’s means “stay home” and it’s the campaign that private citizens, small businesses, and large corporations are using to remind everyone that the way to protect the elderly or those with underlying conditions is if ALL of us stay home.

You don’t know who has the virus. People without symptoms can spread it to others. And yes, my husband and I are in our thirties, our daughter not even a year old. We’ll be fine. But the people around us might not be.

It’s a relatively easy thing to do. Something we can all do. But you shouldn’t wait until your government tells you to do it. Do it for the good of your neighbors, your parents, and your grandparents.

The US isn’t prepared for this.

True, schools have started to close and some cities have shut down bars and restaurants, others have enacted curfews. But even I can see that the US response is not where it should be.

The past two White House briefings, have those behind the podium and in the audience practically on top of each other. Members of the media are sharing the same microphone, passing it from person to person. Politicians and government officials are shaking hands and sending mixed messages. If you’re going to eat out, eat local! Relax!

My social media feed shows people going out to restaurants, bars, and playgrounds. Others are still saying this is just the flu and the media is exaggerating it. They’re not.

Now is not the time to panic.

There is a beauty in the resilience and solidarity of people overcoming tough times. Our friends our constantly reaching out to us on WhatsApp. We check-in to make sure everyone is doing OK.

The majority of people will be fine. Grocery stores are still open. We’ve been able to get everything we need.

And the icing on the cake? Every night at 8PM people throughout the country open their windows or go on their balconies and clap. It’s a show of support to all the healthcare workers and the sacrifices they’re making for us.

So yes, Spain has made it’s mistakes. The US is too. As a I write this, we’re sitting at home, calmly, riding this out. We know there’s an end to this, and we’ll do our part to make sure the cost is somewhat less.

But it’s time for you to make the choice and take this seriously. Do what we didn’t from the beginning. Stay home.

To continue reading about our life in lockdown, checkout: Coronavirus Lockdown in Spain: Three Week Update.