No fun in the sun for Mary in Spanish home
IF you think being restricted to a walk within two kilometres of your home is harsh, spare a thought for other countries, where lockdown really means being in your house except in matters of emergency.
Tullyallen native Mary Reilly has been confined to her home near Alicante in Spain for weeks now, and says we have it far easier in Ireland than countries like Spain and Italy.
“We have been hit very hard in Spain, and I know people in Irelan have lost loved ones too, but here, there were over 600 deaths today alone, and it’s around 13,000 in total, so the Government really had to take serious action,” says Mary, who has lived in Spain for 16 years. “It is incredibly strict here, and it’s only right, and we’re now in the fourth week of six, and even then, we can’t see it returning to normal straight away.”
Mary lives in a small town called Cabo Roig, south of Alicante, and this time of the year, it would be buzzing with tourists or locals on holiday.
“But it is a ghost town at the moment, especially on a Sunday, when not even the supermarket can open,” says Mary, whose three sons Jason, Barry and Shane all still live in Drogheda with their families.“The beaches are all cordoned off, and you can only walk on your own, and that is to a shop or chemist for essentials. The police will stop you and find out what you are doing, and you can be fined if it unnecessary. I know someone who was sent home as they were only buying fruit and water. It wasn’t enough and they were told to wait for a larger shopping.”
Mary works part time in a bar, and the town has been hit very badly economically, although thankfully, there have been few cases of coronavirus, or deaths as a result, in comparison to other parts.
Of course, the restrictions mean she can’t get back to Drogheda to see her family, especially her mum Betty Campbell.
“She is 85, and being looked after very well in the nursing home in Dowth, but I miss her so much,” she says. “We Facetime all the time, and with my grandchildren too, which is great. I would normally go back to visit around five times a year, and I would have been home for my grandson Sam’s confirmation, but that has been postponed.
“Hopefully I will get back as soon as all this is over, and I can give everyone hugs and kisses!”