After arriving home from the Axarquía it became clear that shit was getting real re: the coronavirus (aka covid-19). I went out in the morning to stock up and stay home, stopping by a couple of my bars to see how they were doing and what their plans were. Usually on a Friday afternoon these two bars would have been heaving, but they weren’t even half-full. Schools, museums and parks had already been closed and everyone was waiting to hear what would be decided by the city council about bars and restaurants (Madrid had closed theirs the day before). Later that evening they had their answer when the Ayuntamiento issued an “express recommendation” that all bars and restaurants shut down until further notice.

Meanwhile, I came across these sights while out shopping. Honestly don’t understand why anyone drinks from public fountains at any time, but seeing this group of elderly folks taking turns made me shudder. Other signs of the times were seeing the cosmetic testers covered in plastic at El Corte Inglés, LUSH inviting passersby to stop in to wash their hands, an almost empty meat section at the CI Supermarket (though I did get toilet paper!), and a used medical mask, possibly contaminated, left on the street by some asshole. I mean, WTF?

A country-wide lockdown similar to Italy is expected over the weekend.