{"id":4798,"date":"2020-03-19T15:23:36","date_gmt":"2020-03-19T19:23:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aleta.life\/?p=4798"},"modified":"2025-10-16T16:36:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T20:36:14","slug":"coping-with-covid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aleta.life\/index.php\/2020\/03\/19\/coping-with-covid\/","title":{"rendered":"Coping with COVID"},"content":{"rendered":"
Position: 37\u00b0 35\u2032 49\u201dN 0\u00b0 58\u2032 48\u201dW<\/a><\/h6>\n

We are on lock down. We can leave the marina only if we\u2019re buying groceries or going to the pharmacy. Marlon can’t leave the marina and can walk only as far as he needs for his doggie business. Streets are empty and the police are taking their job seriously.<\/p>\n

Two weeks ago, our friends Lauren and Wade arrived in Madrid. At the time we didn\u2019t fully realize Madrid is Spain\u2019s ground zero for SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that gives you COVID-19<\/a>). We met up with the lovebirds a couple of days later in the town of Cuenca, just ahead of Madrid closing its schools. From there it was a foot race as we tried to visit some of Spain\u2019s most beautiful villages and not contract or spread the disease in the process. (We will have a road trip report soon \u2013 I promise!)<\/em><\/p>\n

The immediate result of Madrid\u2019s school closures was for the wealthy to jump in their cars, or onto trains, and head to their second homes along the south coast. Granada, Murcia and other states suddenly realized their low to no rates of infection were about to change. With the tragedy in Italy unfolding in real time, along with limited emergency care facilities and higher proportions of elderly residents off-season, Spain\u2019s coastal states banned all but emergency travel.<\/p>\n

TP<\/h6>\n

\"How<\/a>Cartagena has shuttered schools and closed offices and restaurants. The police are out ensuring people stay indoors, and there are heavy fines for socializing. This is tough for Spaniards. Socializing is the essential fabric of their culture.<\/p>\n

Panic-buying of toilet paper lasted a day. Our local Carrefour (a big supermarket chain) was out of fresh meat and milk last Saturday. The following Monday shelves were full again. There\u2019s nothing wrong with the supply chain. Besides the addition of hand sanitizer and disposable gloves at the store\u2019s entrance and masks on shoppers and employees, things are relatively normal.<\/p>\n

For the past couple of weeks, we have been monitoring each other and taking our temperatures regularly. Being symptom free, and with the looming spectre of a global travel ban, Lauren and Wade headed back to the States two weeks earlier than planned. Originally booked on flights out of London at the end of the month, they caught the last plane out of Murcia\u2019s regional airport for Gatwick on Wednesday. When they arrived in the UK, they discovered their flight home had been cancelled. So, they grabbed seats on the next US-bound flight that afternoon and skedaddled. They are now safely back home in self-isolation.<\/p>\n

Nowhere to Go<\/h6>\n

Today, the marina has about half the number of crews in it. Several boats set sail last week, only to find out they\u2019re not welcome anywhere along the coast. Even if Aleta\u2019s engine was working, we aren\u2019t allowed to leave now. Other folks have headed home to wait out the pandemic there. The rest of us are practicing \u2018physical distancing\u2019 while remaining socially connected via a daily VHF net. We have internet access and therefore entertainment. We wash our hands regularly, try not to touch our faces, and walk around the marina for exercise. We feel a bit like very big hamsters.<\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Position: 37\u00b0 35\u2032 49\u201dN 0\u00b0 58\u2032 48\u201dW We are on lock down. We can leave the marina only if we\u2019re buying groceries or going to the pharmacy. Marlon can’t leave the marina and can walk only as far as he …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23057,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[8,26,15,558,561,483,560,145,16,562,559,412,563,484],"class_list":["post-4798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-learnin-and-doin","tag-aleta","tag-aleta-life","tag-carol","tag-covid-19","tag-hamster","tag-lauren","tag-lock-down","tag-marlon","tag-mike","tag-pandemic","tag-sars-cov-2","tag-spain","tag-virus","tag-wade"],"yoast_head":"\nCoping with COVID - The Adventures of Aleta<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We are on lock down. 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