Nosotros nos quedamos en nuestra casa
When Coronavirus first hit the headlines, little did we realise what an impact it would have on the lives of so many. We have had pandemics before, and outbreaks of new strains of virus that threaten to be worse than whatever came previously, but there does not seem to have been anything on this scale, and with such devastating consequences, certainly in our lifetime. When I talk about the consequences, I am not referring directly to the number of new cases reported daily, or the number of deaths, both of which are tragic enough, but I am referring to the massive ripples across economies, businesses, communities and societal changes and enforced disruption.
Much has been written about the reasons behind the catastrophic and rapid rise in the number of reported cases in Italy, and Spain appears to be following suit. Italy has a huge older population, as does Spain where life expectancy is one of the highest in the world. Families and communities live together closely, so when a virus as aggressive as Coronavirus enters the system, it is easy to see how it can pass so quickly and affect the vulnerable with such voracity. At the moment, the majority of Spain’s cases are centred around Madrid and areas to the north of Madrid that are more densely populated. If the virus were to spread across the whole country, the effect could be beyond comprehension. Rural communities are already at grave risk through depopulation, with younger generations having to leave their homes in search of employment, and with older residents simply dying out leaving great swathes of underpopulated land mass. In some areas, the population is as low as 12.5 people per square kilometre. Whilst that will have undoubted advantages when the advice is to keep at least one metre of space between you and the next person, it is still a very fragile framework to rural life in this gorgeous country.
Here in Granada the situation is worsening. Until a few days ago, Granada was the only province in Andalucia not to have any reported cases of the virus. This has since changed, and life is changing accordingly. The Alhambra Palace, Spain’s most visited monument, was closed from yesterday until further notice. Public events are being cancelled, supermarket shelves are being emptied as people stock up for every eventuality. The virus has reached rural Spain and it is being taken very seriously. Today, central Government declared a state of alarm in Spain and measures are due to be announced over the course of the weekend to contain and delay the spread of the virus. Travel only when absolutely necessary. It is likely that restrictions will only be in place for 15 days or until the end of March, and the situation will be constantly assessed and monitored.
Of course, this whole crisis is a disaster for the travel industry and we know many small business in our part of the country that rely on tourism for their livelihood. Without exception, and almost overnight, bookings have dried up and cancellations have been as swift as they have been inevitable. On our own personal level, enquiries have stopped completely and we have had one cancellation this week from one of our first bed and breakfast guests. We are lucky, in that we don’t yet have too much tied up in our tourism activities, and we have a great deal of flexibility when it comes to dates and available venues; we can weather this storm, we hope, even if it rages for more than a couple of months. We are trying to pass on as much accurate information as we can to our creative course guests and tutors so that, together, we can make informed decisions about the correct course of action. This is relatively uncharted territory, and scaremongering is definitely not the answer, but precaution is essential.
So, yes, our business is, and will continue to be, affected. However, today another stark realisation dawned on us. As news has been filtering through, particularly on a local level, we had WhatsApp chats with our lovely neighbour, and she is worried. I have then looked at threads across social media, with visitors asking if it is safe to travel within Spain, and have been shocked that there are so many cavalier attitudes - I saw one comment on Facebook brushing off the virus death rates as being no worse than flu. Without going into statistics, and arguing over which virus kills more people, we are dealing with this particular problem right now, and we have a huge responsibility as guests in this country which we now call home. Our tourism businesses are suffering, but imagine the horror of inviting the virus in to a rural community, where life is continuing as best it can, and seeing the tragic consequences. Our own village has an older and very vulnerable sector of the community; village chaps whose lives still centre around the game of cards in the village bar. They are not going to keep a metre away from each other, and they are not going to eschew that daily social interaction, as that is what keeps them going. Events are being cancelled or postponed here, advice is being handed out to take every precaution to minimise the risk of infection. We cannot risk, nor would we want to risk increasing any likelihood of the virus entering this already delicate ecosystem. Our business ventures will survive. I know that many won’t and the repercussions of this crisis will be felt for a long time to come. Many areas of our daily lives will be reevaluated and reassessed, possibly for the good in the medium to long term. However, we have to deal with the present and we have to preserve the status quo here, and protect our neighbours.
This weekend, we will have a much better idea of the next steps to be taken by the government. Every hour, the situation changes and it is not helpful to speculate too much about what a shut-down might look like, if it does, indeed, come to that. Key advice is only travel if it is absolutely essential and that is the advice we are taking. I think that, for the next fortnight, it is unlikely we will be going anywhere except to buy provisions, and we will be discouraging people from visiting us. Viruses spread through people; minimise the movement of people you minimise the movement of the virus. We are lucky that we live in such a beautiful corner of the world, with a supportive and caring network of friends and neighbours around us. We have absolutely no desire to run the risk of contracting this virus but, far more importantly, we would never want to risk this finely balanced community.
So, our advice is just to stay put for the next two weeks. Don’t travel, don’t visit populated areas, just take a break in your own home and enjoy a book. It is not worth putting anyone at risk when there is too great a percentage of the population here of an age that places them in the vulnerable bracket. The worst of the virus will pass and we can then get back to rebuilding the damage that has been wrought, and concentrate on regenerating the tourism industry that this country relies on so heavily. We can’t wait to welcome all our guests once we all return to some semblance of normality.
With that in mind, don’t be afraid of making enquiries for any time this year and we will always advise you whether or not we think it is wise. The second part of the year should be absolutely fine (writes he, with absolutely no medical evidence to back this up, but we have to remain optimistic!). We can move the dates of our creative courses, and create new ones; we can fill the house with bed and breakfast guests and I think that, after the period of time that we find ourselves in right now, we will all need a break and a bloody good fiesta in the warm Spanish sun, surrounded by the loveliest of people.
#Nosotrosnosquedamosencasa - We are staying at home!
Casa Higueras Bed & Breakfast
