The Spanish lock-down to limit all non essential social activity began in earnest at eight o'clock this morning. Ibiza now has a second covid-19 case, a student who came home from the mainland. We're getting off lightly here so far. Central government is taking direct control of military and civilian security agencies under an emergency powers provisions described as a 'State of Alarm', which is a little less serious than a State of Emergency.
The advice issued about what this means is, shall we say, a bit clearer and coherent than what UK governments has proposed so far, with 'dynamic situation' as their alibi for doing things differently from EU countries. It seems that 'take back control' brexit thinking prevails even when lives are at stake. Will Brits be justified, or will the EU states? Not that they themselves are acting at the same pace, policies are largely similar. We'll see.
A great deal of retail activity is forbidden. Schools are closed. Most churches have already stopped public services. Roads and access points can be closed to control herds of people wanting to flee or over-consume or protest at their lot presumably. Airports are still open but numbers of flights and people wanting to use them has much diminished. Restaurants and bars are closed but deliveries at home are still allowed. Sports and all other forms of public entertainment are shut down.
'Stay at home' policy amounts to avoiding un-necessary personal contact. However....
Supermarkets, petrol stations, pharmacies, medical centres, private doctors, veterinarians, telephone companies and other tech vendors, banks and surprisingly enough neighbourhood estancos that sell tobacco, stamps and bus top-up cards can remain open. All can be frequented by the public. Other businesses and industry are closed. You can visit or take care of elderly and vulnerable people, walk your pets, go to the bank. In every social interaction it's a matter of keeping your distance.
If you want to go walking, you'd better avoid public places altogether and minimise contact with others outdoors in open spaces, apart from beaches, which are banned locations. It looks like there is special provision for animal rescue and practical emergencies, but don't push your luck outdoors as a zealous security enforcer might just ask you to prove that your being or maybe repeating being in a place you're supposed to avoid has a justifiable purpose. Quite well thought through, I'd say. The important thing is to stay away from any place where there are lots of people, and if you need to keep your distance.
After breakfast, I started drafting a Mothering Sunday sermon. It's impossible not to say something about our present situation, but it is important to stay connected to the normal flow of our spiritual lives as it finds expression in the liturgical diet of scripture we use in worship. After this, I took a morning walk on deserted unmetalled back country roads, observing new leaves and blossom on trees, bushes and vines.
After lunch I recorded the audio for tomorrow's bible study and sent it Dave for uploading to the Chaplaincy website. Then I took another walk late afternoon on another empty back road down to La Cala des Torrents. There were very few cars about and a I saw a local bus. Reduced bus services are running, but for how long is unclear. There's a substantial holiday village built above the very rocky foreshore. The sandy cove is about two hundred metres wide. I walked on the road outside the holiday village with its water park and a long row of shops all shuttered, with no sign of life. It's just like a scene from a dystopian movie in which all the people have been spirited away by aliens. It could be like this for months to come. The many holiday homes here are unoccupied. If anyone wanted to come over from the mainland, they would be unable to unless they were permanent residents returning home.
I had a surprise email this evening from my old friend Roy Thomas, asking me to look at an article he was writing. I discovered that currently he's in Alicante. He decided to go there for Lent, and I think like me has got more than he bargained for, but he is making the most of his time researching theologically and writing on re-thinking Christian faith in the twenty first century. I look forward to a stimulating exchange of ideas with him in weeks ahead. He's relatively near, but unable to travel over to Ibiza now. Such a pity.
No comments:
Post a Comment