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The warm sun on my face. Fresh air in my lungs.
We used to take it for granted, but after seven weeks of strict confinement in Spain, banned from leaving our homes except for vital supplies of food and medicine, he felt exceptionally wonderful.
The sidewalks of Madrid, which had been deserted for so long, were alive again this morning with people walking their dogs, chatting with neighbors and running, on bicycles.
We used to take it for granted, but after seven weeks of strict confinement in Spain, prohibited from leaving our homes except for vital supplies of food and medicine, the feeling of a warm son on my face felt exceptionally wonderful, writes the actress and producer. of cinema MARCIA DO VALES
They were all smiling and laughing, taking to the streets from 6 in the morning.
And no wonder.
On Saturday, the Spanish were allowed to exercise, the first precious insight into our normal lives we had since authorities imposed the toughest Covid-19 containment measures in the world on March 14.
It was like waking up from a nightmare.
As a London-based producer and actress who has worked on various horror movies, my job included imagining a zombie apocalypse or the terrors of the paranormal.
But the past few weeks have been hell that turned us all into zombies.
If I had known exactly what was going to happen in Spain, I would never have stayed. I arrived in Madrid in early March to visit my 20-year-old son Enrico, who begins as a professional soccer player in the city.
And as the coronavirus crisis deepened and the blockade was closed, I had to choose: stay with Enrico in a third-floor flat in the center of Madrid, or leave him alone to return to the UK.
Yesterday, the Spanish were allowed to exercise, the first precious vision of our normal lives we had since the authorities imposed the toughest Covid-19 containment measures in the world on March 14
There was no correct decision, but the result has been exhausting and mentally destructive.
With police and soldiers on every street, we have been almost literally jailed under a regime that makes the British confinement look literally like a walk in the park by comparison.
There have been no parks open here and walking has been prohibited.
The truth is that Spain was slow to respond to the virus.
When schools closed, families were allowed to leave Madrid, spreading the virus across the country with devastating effects.
It led to a complete block. No one was allowed to leave their homes except to go to the supermarket, briefly walk dogs, or pick up medicine.
Children could not play outside. Almost unbelievably, exercise was banned.
The sidewalks of Madrid, which had been deserted for so long, came alive again with people earlier this morning by walking their dogs, chatting with neighbors, and running, by bike.
The past few weeks have been hell that turned us all into zombies.
Even this was not enough to prevent the death toll from rising to almost 24,000, a grim number second only to that of the US. USA
The Spanish Ministry of the Interior imposed road blocks and drafted 130,000 soldiers to support the police in the application of the Citizen Security Law, or ‘Gag Law’ as it has been called.
In the first month, half a million were fined up to 10,400 euros for infractions, and there were more than 5,000 arrests.
The Spanish Ministry of the Interior imposed road blocks and drafted 130,000 soldiers to support the police in the application of the Citizen Security Law, or ‘Gag Law’ as it has been called. In the picture: people in Barcelona enjoyed being allowed to leave their homes on Saturday
It was very easy for Spain to reverse its history to the days of fascism. In the image: people are seen running and cycling through the Puerta de Alcalá the first day that Spain eased its measures to block Covid-19
Just being caught away from home, without good reason, can lead to a penalty of 601 euros; It shows any attitude and can be increased to 2,000 euros in an instant.
It almost happened to me. Not long after it all started, my son and I left the house to dispose of several bags of recycling waste.
We were stopped by a police car, and officers forcibly told us that we were not allowed to go out together. They said that one of us would have to make several trips with the suitcases.
Completely pathetic!
I had to apologize several times and promise it would never happen again. But it was a crucial moment: the understanding that our rights had been truly stripped.
It was very easy for Spain to reverse its history to the days of fascism.
That old regime has meant that people largely obeyed the rules.
The desire to protect older people, and protect health workers as the number increased, kept people inside.
In the first month of the closure, half a million people were fined up to 10,400 euros for rapes, and there were more than 5,000 arrests. In the image: Several people exercise or go for a walk along the Paseo Marítimo this morning in Barcelona, Spain, this morning.
It could take 40 minutes waiting in line to get into the supermarket, and when I once dared to film the huge queue to show a friend, the store’s security guard ordered me to delete the images and stood over me while doing so. .
She had no true authority, of course.
My son and I spend most of our time in our rooms, meeting in the kitchen at lunchtime. Often we couldn’t sleep, so day merged with night and it got confusing.
It was mentally very challenging. As a producer, I am used to being efficient and making quick decisions.
But as I continued to work, confined to the floor, I found myself struggling to make simple decisions.
Even small tasks began to take longer: paying a bill took me half an hour.
It was as if there was a big cloud in my brain, without any clarity.
I started to feel jealous of my friends in the UK who were still able to leave home to exercise on a daily basis.
I started to feel jealous of my friends in the UK who were still able to leave home to exercise on a daily basis. In the image: the runners enjoy their first outing since the closure of Spain was imposed
They complained about their own confinement, but it made me angry: they couldn’t understand what it was like to be inside all the time.
I stopped wanting to talk to them as we weren’t sharing the same experience. It is not an exaggeration to say that I was going crazy.
The last week in particular was tough. My son and I feel sick, either because of the lack of sunlight or something else we couldn’t say.
But today, leaving for that hour, it felt like we had regained our lives. I didn’t run particularly hard, not even far.
The point was to be outside in the open and with other human beings. I felt like a child on a playground.
But if I have a new appreciation for life, we still haven’t seen the true scale of damage that this terrible confinement will have caused.
