Coronavirus Lockdown in Spain: Kids Can Go Outside!

Coronavirus Lockdown in Spain: Kids Can Go Outside!

It’s week 7 of a national coronavirus lockdown in Spain. The (long awaited) difference? Kids can go outside. We’re still in lockdown, that hasn’t changed. But the government has started to loosen its strict lockdown measures, and it will take another 6-8 weeks of further de-escalation until we reach our ‘new normal.’ The first step? This past Sunday kids were allowed to go outside for the first time in 6 weeks.

Kids being allowed outside is HUGE. And, honestly, I’m not sure how I feel about it. Do I think kids need outdoor time? Absolutely. Do I see that the number of coronavirus cases is going down and hospitals are slowly emptying out? Thankfully, yes. Do I trust that every parent and child is going to meticulously follow the government’s guidelines? That’s where I get nervous. 

Why weren’t kids allowed outside in the first place?

COVID-19 hit Spain hard. It has the second highest cases in the world behind the US, so the strict coronavirus lockdown in Spain was certainly warranted. 

One of the lockdown measures required kids to stay indoors from the get go. Before you jump to the conclusion that it was barbaric, harmful or unnecessary, there’s a major difference between how Spaniards and Americans live -and that’s housing. 

Over 66% of Spaniards live in apartments. That’s the highest percentage in the EU. It also far surpasses the US, where the overwhelming majority of Americans live in houses. 

Plus, Spanish apartments are SMALL. Definitely not what Americans are typically used to. Everyone in my 8-story apartment building shares the same three elevators, two stairwells, and ONE main entrance. 

Meaning we live in much tighter (and germ ridden) quarters. 

So when I’ve written before about kids (and adults) in the US being lucky to leave the house. I meant it. Friday was the first time my 11-month-old got to leave our (small, balcony-less apartment) in 42 days. FORTY. TWO. 

For people in the US, this may have sounded overly restrictive. But remember, we’re sharing the same elevators, stairwells, railings, and door handles. All harbingers of germs. All of which kids love to touch without remorse. 

We can’t just pop the garage door open and run out into suburbia knowing for certain we won’t come in contact with another person while exiting our homes. 

Spain’s no good, very bad day. 

Earlier this week the Spanish government announced that kids could leave the house starting Sunday, April 26th -but only to accompany their parents on essential errands. No walks around the block, no playing outside. Just a purposeful trip to a very confined grocery store, pharmacy, or bank. The same places that all of society goes to. To wait in line before entering, to touch as few things as possible, wait in another line to pay, continuing to touch as little as possible, and somehow make it out (with kids in tow) and zero meltdowns. Um, what?! 

Taking kids to the grocery store is hard enough without a global pandemic. 

To make it worse, Spanish families had already been told a few days prior that kids would be able to go outside. Cue the ensuing excitement after parents told their kids they could go outside to PLAY. Only to have to take it all back. Because why even bring your kids to the grocery store if it placed them and others at risk?

After several hours of protest from every direction -parents, politicians, experts, you name it- Spain listened and the government (surprisingly) reversed course. In the end, kids would be able to go outside for a walk. Phew.

I can’t imagine a reversal like that happening in the US –especially on the same day.

The Rules

The government has dubbed it the “Rule of Four Ones.” Up to three children are allowed out with one parent (or caregiver), for up to one hour, in a one kilometer radius of their home, once a day. 

Kids aren’t to play with their friends and must keep their distance from other groups of people. Bikes, scooters, and toys are OK, playgrounds are not, and walks are limited to 9am-9pm.

They’ve also made a point to say that kids are not obligated to go outside. If they’re not up to it. That’s fine. Don’t push it. 

My husband and I, being the rule-followers that we are, have kept up with the restrictions. We’ve traded off days to walk our daughter outside. He sets a timer on his phone so he knows when his hour is up. And I’ve taken to Google Maps to determine exactly where our 1 kilometer radius gets us to. 

Most people, at least that I’ve seen, seem to be following the rules. A few haven’t. And the egregious rulebreakers are shamed on social media or in the news. They are the groups of entire families swarming tightly packed local parks. The government says those people are the exception, and most of us are doing the right thing. I cross my fingers and hope they’re right.

Because if they’re wrong, they’ve assured us it will delay the next phase on the road to our ‘new normal.’ If enough of us follow the rules with our kids, then everyone will be permitted to leave the house to walk or exercise starting May 2nd.

For my husband and I, I’m hoping that means we’ll be able to go outside as a family for the first time in 7 weeks.

Our First Outing

Our 11-month-old was able to jump lockdown two days early. She had a checkup with her pediatrician, so we walked (her and I) to the clinic and back. For the first time in 42 days, my daughter got to leave our apartment and get some fresh air. 

That’s a sizable percentage of her life spent inside -and she was noticeably nervous as we walked out the door. 

The things I noticed the most? How big the world looks. How high up the sky is. And how quiet the streets are. My mind tricked me into thinking I could hear kids playing outside. In reality, the streets were so quiet that the sound of kids playing inside their apartments (windows wide open) filled the silence.  

And If I could notice those things -marveling at how big the world is- what was going through my teeny, tiny 11-month-old’s mind? 

Far quicker than I expected, she became more interested in the sights around her. Inquisitively observing and then waving at the few people we passed. Somehow, we always forget to give kids the credit they deserve. They bounce back pretty fast.

The coronavirus lockdown in Spain was put in effect for a very real, life or death reason. As I write this, there are over 24,000 Spaniards and 60,000 Americans who will never get another chance to walk the streets and decide whether the world is too big or too small. So I have zero issues with the forty-two days my daughter spent indoors. None. 

However, I am more than thankful for the outdoor time she’s granted now. And I hope that other parents stick to the rules as much as we have.

Want to read more about our experience with the coronavirus lockdown in Spain? Read From Spain, With Love: A Coronavirus Lockdown Cautionary Tale and Coronavirus in Spain: Three Week Update.