Why the virus is a hare and we are all tortoises with a twist of ambivalence
As some people return to work after the Easter holidays, you could be fooled into thinking that Spain is relaxing the quarantine rules. You would be wrong. Rules are not being relaxed and the World Health Organisation is recommending an extension into May to avoid a second outbreak. Epidemiologists fear that a relaxation ahead of time could cause a second wave of the virus just as the health service is recovering from round one. The rules of the race to be free of Covid19 havent´ changed, it's just become a marathon instead of a sprint.
A month into lockdown has meant a month with no wages for many households across Spain. Many workers who lost their jobs did not get their paperwork processed by the end of March so won’t receive any payment until the middle of May. For many the financial pressure is becoming unbearable. Small businesses and the self employed were promised relief but only a fraction qualified for deferment of payment and virtually none for financial assistance, being asked to resubmit their requests early May.
And yet there is always beauty born from the darkest hours and this pandemic holds no exception. The way the community has come together to support each other is magnificent to behold. Over €5,000 raised online for the BBBA foodbank and over €1,000 in physical donations in just one month. When we started this, we planned to raise €1,500 to buy 100 €15 bags to add to the weekly shop of the hardest affected. Now we are feeding over 30 families, some with young children, some with no fridge to store food, some we have managed to place in the homeless shelter.
Lenin once said that “Every society is three meals away from chaos” but we have proved him wrong. The revolution didn't take place on the street with riots and looting. The revolution took place online and we've all pulled together, we are all pulling together to make sure no one gets left behind and trying our best to get help and support to those who need it.
We clap together at 20.00 every night in solidarity. We smile at our neighbours across our balconies, play music, sing, bang drums. We make masks to get to carers. We check up more on friends and family. We've all learned how to video chat.
We have united against this virus and we will win. We are the tortoise and the virus is the hare. We must take our time, listen to the experts, keep the pressure off the health service. Comply with social distancing and hygiene procedures. Slowly. We cannot rush.
On a day when the total number of deaths in 24 hours is “only” 521, the lowest in 19 days, it seems like we have peaked and beaten the curve but all we have done is bought some time. The current date the restrictions are due to be lifted is April 26 Many workers and business owners. are dreaming of that date as if it were a magical cure for the economy but there are harder times ahead.
We cannot run full speed against the hare, we would never win the marathon. We have to take our time. Not everyone will be straight back to work after lockdown is over, for many it will be months before they are back in employment, the tourism industry will recover, it will adapt, but it will take time.
Spain can always look to Italy to get an idea of what might happen as they begin to breathe life back into their economy. Baby shops have just reopened there. Quite understandable as they tend to grow quite quickly and most will have grown out of their romper suits. Theatres, cinemas, shops, bars… all remain closed. And will remain so for a while.
As we take the slow route, the safe route, the life-saving route to the finish line, we have to pull together. We have to be realistic. We have to each of us review our plans but never our dreams. We have to keep dreaming but weave a new path.
It will seem like the hare is winning again next week. And the week after. And quite possibly the week after that. As more and more testing is done, the figures of contagion will rise. According to a survey of almost 50% of Spain’s GPs´, at least 2% of Spain’s population has been infected. That’s 940,000 people. These are people they saw in March who showed signs of the virus but were never tested as a follow up measure unless their condition worsened. There are also 1,000,000 people in Spain being monitored by telephone with suspected infections but have yet to be tested. The infection figures will rise exponentially but this should not induce fear. The more clear the data, the
more figures we have, the easier it will be to win.
Our older generation are panicking. They hear fake news that anyone over 65 will be refused a ventilator. They hear constantly that they are “vulnerable” and many feel very alone. Animal refuges are struggling. They are usually supplied with left over food from shops and restaurants which are now closed and no adoptions are taking place. Many have also found their capacity increased due to people sadly abandoning their dogs because they wrongly believe they transmit the virus. Everywhere we turn it seems to be bad news.
But as the hare runs this way and that with all its energy, as it has a little sleep waiting for us to re-emerge, a certain amount of ambivalence is being born in the tortoise. Ambivalence towards the hare. A hatred so strong for the death, the disruption, the devastation it is leaving in its wake yet a love for the community spirit that has risen up to fight as one, a love for the front line workers fighting to save us all and a love for the unity it has created in humanity.
We need to sit back, relax and put our feet up. We are in for the long haul. We will win, we don't have to dig trenches and jump “over the top” to defeat our hare, we just need time.
Stay safe everyone. Stay home.