Spain embraces social distancing

Before the coronavirus pandemic, Belen Agui lived with gusto, frequently meeting her friends in restaurants in Madrid. That made Spain's hard shutdown from mid-March to mid-May a tough psychological ordeal, she said. Now, six people from multiple households are permitted to meet in homes or share a table at a bar, but a new curfew has been imposed from midnight and 6 a.m., which has had a negative effect on Agui's teenage children, who like going out at night. 

Generally, people in Spain are complying with distancing regulations. For some, that has meant a  difficult cultural adjustment. "I miss being with others," said Agui who used to greet people she knew with kisses on the cheeks when she met them. 

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Spain's health care system is overwhelmed by the hundreds of thousands of current COVID-19 patients nationwide and struggling to treat them as a result of years of cuts for austerity reasons. There aren't enough hospital beds or intensive care units, let alone nurses. Visitors are not permitted. The online therapy subscription service iFeel has reported an almost 170% increase in symptoms of anxiety during the pandemic. 

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Because tenants are facing financial difficulties, Agui has decreased the monthly rents of nine apartments that she manages for her 84-year-old aunt in a well-to-do resort by €100 ($117) for the next year. "It's only a small gesture," she said, "but the coming months are going to be difficult in light of all the bankruptcies." 

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The national bank projects that unemployment could rise to as high as 23% by the end of 2020. The decrease in tourists has hit middle-class Spaniards particularly hard. They often live in residential areas and have monthly rents of €1,000-1,500. Young people generally meet in the parking lots of housing developments to smoke and drink together, but there was absolute calm from March through May. When summer arrived, people adhered to strict distancing regulations on the grass and in the pool. 

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Learning to live in isolation

The number of infections is higher in Spain than in any other EU country aside from France. People are required to wear masks when they leave their homes. There are police officers everywhere, and the army has been brought in to help with contact tracing.

Eighteen-year-old Madrid resident Ana Sophie Bernat no longer meets her friends outside of school, but she's trying not to be too negative. "The chaotic nature of lessons doesn't help," she said. At the moment, she only attends physical school for three hours a day. The other classes are all online. Sometimes in the morning, she has to get on a packed metro: "People instinctively try to sit as far away from you as possible or to stand as if you might have the plague." 

Thirty-six-year-old dancer and sports coach Sofia Penado has been living in isolation for months too. She runs a small sports center in Pozuelo, a wealthy suburb of Madrid, and was always full of positive energy before the pandemic. Direct contact with her students was crucial. Now, she is worried about her job and about infecting others, particularly her mother. Most of her classes have moved online, as people are reluctant to come to her studio. "The safety regulations are very strict and many people don't want to wear a mask. This is survival, not life." 

Once again, it is the older generation who were able to help their families through the 2008-14 financial meltdown with their savings, which is showing the younger generations how to survive with their strength and stamina. Ana Bernat's great-aunt speaks with her family every day and "never complains." Ana says that she's got a better grip on the situation at 79 than many of their friends. 

Agui has had similar experiences. Close to tears, she recalled how an older couple had reacted to the announcement that their rent would be lowered. "Thank you, but we don't need it," the responded. "We're doing fine financially." She was very impressed. 

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"I hope that when all of this is over we will be as full of life and sociable as before," Agui said.  

This article was adapted from German.