Life in the Times of Coronavirus: Lockdown Day 3
LOCKDOWN DAY 3: MARCH 16, 2020
Monday, the first workday since all this started going down – officially today was Day 3 or Day 4, depending on who you ask. Either way, dawn brought with it more bad news: more than 9,000 people in Spain are sick with the coronavirus, along with nearly 300 deaths; the borderless EU nations were now shutting themselves off to their fellow member states as well as to foreigners; Spain nationalized all private hospitals to help bear the brunt of the coronavirus crisis; Catalonia’s number of COVID-19 infections had also grown overnight to 1,394 people, including the president (i.e., governor) of Catalunya himself. No more new cases have been reported in Cerdanyola since Saturday. At least, not yet, given the terrifying speed with which the coronavirus spreads.
The government-enforced lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain is still in full effect, and today there was talk of extending it even longer. In all reality, we’ll probably be hunkered down for a month, at least, possibly even six weeks. I do not know how to process that in my present state of mind, to be honest with you. I’m sure I’ll adjust (what choice do we have?) and that we’ll find a way through, but the idea of being stuck at home really does start to weigh on you.
Sunset.
It rained today. A lot. The clouds were already gathering last night, brewing the late winter storm. This morning, the clouds let loose and it started pelting down rain, and with it gusts of wind that sent it scattering sideways. There was no sun today; it rained all day. It was hard not to commit the pathetic fallacy and see the storm as a melancholy reflection of our local, and global, troubles. I laughed out loud at the thought as I sat at the window and watched the rain fall. The rain beat down on our town and its empty street, and I stood and opened the window to watch the water stud the rooftops and asphalt below. It flowed in brooks down the streets; it ran in rivulets down telephone poles, handrails, and parking meters; it quenched the thirsty earth and soaked the few pigeons taking refuge under rusty, leaky eaves. I closed my eyes, imagining the rain washing away the virus and all its attendant strife: away, away, away. I felt like I was living in the Middle Ages, praying the plague away, but with so much going wrong out there, I couldn’t help but send up a silent prayer.
I worked today (that doesn’t change, since I work from home) and I’ve been advised to earn money while I still can given the current situation and economic recession that will probably result because of all this. (Layoffs are already taking place all around the country due to the COVID-19 crisis.) Today’s the first day that I haven’t seen a single car on the street, and only saw one person cross the street the entire day. Everyone else is at home, it seems, also mulling over their fates.
Today also brought a different set of challenges: domestic ones. Spending time with your partner is wonderful, but you all know what I mean when I say that there’s such a thing as spending too much time together. I’m certainly aware how blessed I am to be quarantined with my husband, most importantly because I don’t have to worry about him having to rush off to work somewhere and crowding into trains and subway cars, the most sure-fire way to catch the virus.
But, inevitably perhaps, being cooped up together for so long in sixty square meters of space certainly presents its challenges. In our case, I’m a freelancer, so I work mostly from home or perhaps the local café; Franky, meanwhile, has (had?) an admin job about a mile and a half away, meaning he leaves (used to leave?) for work every morning. We’d see each other mainly in the evenings and weekends, and we’d spend time both alone and in the company of friends and some family members.
We haven’t left the house since Saturday when we went grocery shopping on Day One, meaning that we have been spending basically every moment together, and have weeks to go. Today was the first day that we got on each other’s nerves (one of us feels like he’s living through the apocalypse, the other one says no pasa nada; I’ll let you guess who’s who). Nothing major, simply annoyed enough for us to spend a while shut up in our respective studies. (Another luxury we have.) That got me wondering how many other couples were experiencing the same thing now when we’re all forced to stay indoors.
And so, I thought some pointers might be helpful for anyone spending (or who will be spending) lots of time with their significant other or family members during a government-enforced lockdown.
1. Spend time in separate spaces. This is probably an obvious one: if you can, claim a room or area of the house you live in to spend time by yourself. I shut the door to my study and worked or read for a while, or just stretched out on the bed and listened to the rain.
2. Communicate. These are stressful times and it’s only normal to feel moments of panic and fear. Talk about what worries you or what you’re afraid of instead of seeing your partner through the prism of your anxieties.
3. Change the subject. Try to talk about other things besides the COVID-19 outbreak. Remember what it was like to talk about something other than viruses and diseases. We watch nature documentaries and movies and talk about our respective projects.
4. Find projects to work on together. And separately. In our case, we’ve decided to work on our chess strategy. We’re writing a spoken word/flamenco song. I’m writing this blog and editing stories; he’s working on his music.
5. Be silly. Impromptu dance parties; competitions to see who could sing the best aria; pretend to be having a long, intimate conversation with the cat. Whatever makes you laugh, do it, and do it together.
It looks like most of you reading this are or will soon be locked down in your respective countries, so I’d be curious to hear about your own experiences in these critical times. Day 3 of the government-enforced lockdown is drawing to a close in Catalonia. And if it rains again tomorrow, even if it rains all week, I won’t mind at all.