My Lockdown is Not Like Your Lockdown (to my US readers)

TWO WEEKS. Holy Moses. It has been 14 full days. Quarantine. Barcelona, Spain. True lockdown shit ladies and gents. There is a part of me that is really jaded, really disgusted, really jealous, and downright catty with the US. I see your Facebook posts. I envy your Instagram. I would probably sneer at your Tik Tok or Snapchat, too, if I bothered with either app.

I see you driving your golf carts around, waving at the neighbors and trying to find the teddy bears in the windows. I admire your awesome flowers blossoming and the pollen on your shoes because you actually get to take hikes. I scoff at all the toilet paper stuffed in your closet because you go to Kroger every day. I watch your gas prices lower as you leisurely drive around town just to get out of the house or make car parades. I drool over your second homes, whether it is your camper in the woods or the beach condo on the Panhandle. I observe the wind in your hair and the fish on your line from your boat on the weekends. I notice all the take out from your restaurants and read your memes how Chick-fil-A should handle drive-thru virus test sites. I watch you go to Home Depot and work on that improvement project you have been trying to complete but never had the time. I recognize your 6 feet apart social distance but within your neighborhood cul-de-sac having beers and hot dogs with less than 8 people. This isn’t a lockdown. This is vacation.

I don’t have the answers on how to handle the coronavirus. This pandemic is uncharted territory for me. But it is not uncharted for Europe or Asia. China has had many viruses originate from within. Europe has seen the Black Plague and the Spanish Flu. History and science dictate that quarantining is a solution. It “flattens the curve”. It slows the spread. And, that is what I am under: a true sequester.

On Saturday, March 14, Spain implemented a strict confinement. The previous day, all non-essential businesses had shuttered and all schools had closed. The only businesses open are pharmacies and grocery stores. Residents were ordered to their homes/flats and only allowed out for essential items. Every day became more strict with more law enforcement. The 5 dog walks a day to the park quickly became 2 short walks within 100 meters of my flat. The 3 trips to the grocery store quickly became 1 per week. Only one person allowed out at a time and a self-certification form has to be filled out for the essential need in case the police question you (they do!). The borders were closed quickly and only commercial traffic is allowed. The airports and ports closed. The public transportation system is 1/3 of its normal traffic servicing only essential workers and needs. Parks and the small green space around are completely cut off. Taxis are only allowed one person and for an essential need only. Roads are cut only allowing commercial traffic to keep goods stocked. Seriously, my family and I stay in our small flat 24/7 with the slight exception of the those 2 short dog walks daily and my once per week grocery shopping. The rules are written and they are clear, and they are enforced.

So, I conversed with DJ, my husband, on the fundamental differences between the 2 lockdowns. And I concluded that Americans are confused because I am muddled reading about it. The Federal government has a set of guidelines but each State also has a set of rules. Then each county and city also has a set of rules. Nothing is common with the exception of school closings. Some states have ordered a shelter-in-place and some non-essential businesses to close. But each state and county and city have implemented distinctive closures and regulations. For example, California closed bars and restaurants for in-house dining but food trucks are allowed to remain open. The state of Georgia recommends social distancing and no more than 8 in groups, but the City of Atlanta implemented a lockdown. With all the differing and subjective guidelines, rules, and regulations, how is anyone to know what is best?

And, I will touch on the trust worthiness of government. Having lived 43 years in Atlanta, Georgia, I was brought up in a conservative household with a fierce stance on individual freedoms. The right side (in theory) doesn’t trust government to know what is best for the individual. Therefore, innately and subconsciously, it is hard to follow an over-reaching authority into one’s own personal freedom. This also may be why it is difficult to adhere to a stay in place command.

Thankfully, most of my friends are self-quarantining and sheltering in place, despite the government’s baffling guidelines. My best friend is a nurse in Georgia, and gives us weekly updates and forecasts which are grim. These accounts are sobering, and I worry for the US. Her message daily is to STAY HOME.

I am grateful and thankful I live in Barcelona. In a turn of heart, I trust the government here. I feel safe and the rules are clear. I feel more unity and my actions will be for the betterment of all. I read the statistics and while some headlines seem sensational, the numbers are proving that confinement is working (for China, Italy, and Spain). It is not over and only time will tell which methods will work. In the meantime, the world agrees: Quedate en casa!