Thread by @hogotheforsaken

#COVID19
THREAD:
I am in Spain where we have more than 15000 cases and both new cases + deaths are spiralling daily. We’ve been in total lockdown for 9 days, but realised yesterday after reading latest research that we’d breached our safety by accepting eggs from a neighbour.
1/

Neighbour left eggs outside for us. Apparently C19 lives for a whole day on cardboard, including egg boxes, and for several days on metal and plastic.
No one should handle boxes, packets, letters, coins, keys etc without gloves. Wash hands, put items aside for a few days.
2/

Spain, like most of Europe, is taking this very seriously indeed. So far Spain is 2nd worst affected country in Europe (after Italy), and 4th worst affected in world.
Schools, nurseries, colleges and all street shops except food & medical stores have been closed for a week.
3/

We are not allowed to go out of our homes or mix with others except for food/medicine or care for children/sick/elderly.
Police line up customers a metre apart outside supermarkets and let them in one by one. Everyone has to disinfect hands on entry.
4/

We’re trying to go out for supplies as little as possible but will need medicine and fresh veg etc in next few days. One of us (we are 4 adults and 2 kids) will go alone - masked, gloved and goggled.
Bars, cafes and restaurants have been closed for a week now.
5/

Also hairdressers and ironmongers and - well - everything except food stores and chemists. Police are fining cyclists and walkers. No postal delivery (luckily, as virus spreads via paper and card). All non-urgent medical appts are cancelled.
6/

Our family are lucky in that we have 2 houses, mine and daughters, only 500m apart, and are still allowed to travel between both for childcare. Her husband’s been working from home since Corona outbreak, about a month ago his company stopped all travel.
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We have lots of outdoor space so could be much worse, but still it is terrifying, and we are isolated and lonely.
Granddaughter is finding it very tough being cut off from school friends and wider life. We are all stir crazy, but trying hard to keep it together.
8/

Our holiday business has collapsed. We had a tiny business renting our own house and living in cottage next door, gite-style. It was our entire income, so we are financially ruined.
Now we are dependent on family support, don’t know how long they can help us.
9/

Holiday clients demand refunds which we don’t have, as usual all our deposits were invested in upkeep and maintenance over the winter for the planned rental season ahead.
Now there is no rental season, we have no income.
But at least for now we have food, electricity & water.
10/

Lucky us, we still have phones and internet, such essential lifelines to the rest of the world.
We are at the end of tether, but we know it could be so much worse and is so very much worse already for so many people.
11/

None of our family seems sick yet (although both my daughter and I have tickly cough, no fever). We still have food. We have each other’s company. And we have outdoor space.
My heart breaks for those left to battle this alone.
12/

For only children confined to their houses with no one to play with.
For those who’ve lost their jobs and have no one to help them.
For the sick, the elderly, and the vulnerable - not just those vulnerable to Covid19, but anyone affected by any sickness or accident.
13/

Anyone who needs medical attention will struggle to get adequate care now. This situation is coming to the UK too, very soon.
I have been trying to warn people but people are not hearing me and not taking it seriously.
People don’t believe it will happen there - but it will.
14/

We didn’t believe it would happen in Spain, but it did. Please don’t ignore our warnings.
I am not scaremongering or spreading panic.
I advise everybody to stay calm, stay alert, and take all possible precautions.

Follow the WHO advice.
15/

Also there is a great resource here:
docs.google.com/document/u/0/d…
16/

If you can possibly self isolate now please do so. You will protect yourself and save many lives.
Please help stop the virus spreading more rapidly and endangering not just individuals, but also the capacity of the health service to function at all.
17/

If left unchecked, eventually, potentially, this will impact the whole fabric of society.
But we can stop it.
18/

Sooner or later we will get on top of this.
A vaccine will be developed, and maybe, hopefully, we will find a new way of living that centres social cohesion and social responsibility.
In the meantime it is incumbent on us all to act now to help slow the spread of the virus.
19/

PLEASE self isolate if you can.
Please listen.
Please be compassionate and careful.
Please spread the message.
Thank you. ❤️

This is my reality now, and I think it will soon be everybody’s.
20/20