Despite some stern warnings from the scientific community—and the fact that as of today there have been nearly 170,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus (nearly 65,000 of whom have recovered)—workers in Spain deemed “nonessential” can return to their jobs starting today.

As is the case in a lot of countries, though, we are having trouble receiving a unified, consistent message. In the space of three days, we’ve received conflicting news: first, that the complete confinement would last until mid-May at the least; then, that “some” workers would be allowed to return to work; yesterday, the government seemed to suggest that folks should instead remain at home. Today, workers whose jobs are deemed non-essential—the list is long and includes everything from hairstylists, smoke shops, construction work and gas stations—returned to their jobs today.

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