Day 19 Madrid Lockdown Diary: Life in the Time of Coronavirus

Sunday 29 March 2020

A diary showing a glimpse into the future for those lagging behind Spain in the Coronavirus pandemic. Believe — Prepare — Don’t panic.

Dad: “One thing we disagree…the government is getting it right now”.

I respect that. I get it that people want to believe in their governments, but my take is that monitoring, critique and offering of alternatives is essential. Putting forward crazy ideas is important, they may be the ones that work. We need to allow space for that. That crazy idea that we should lockdown the whole country? The whole world? 

Bill Gates already said it will cost the US $4 trillion, and that was before, that was if they followed logic straight up. I think it is not safe to say that it’s all fine here, the big guy is doing it right. Not one single big guy has done it right so far.

I’ve heard it from everyone, not just my Dad. I heard it from esteemed colleagues in India, saying it’s all under control, fantastic leadership. I’ve heard it from Brazil, where they have been mercifully completed spared, some say. I’ve heard it from the UK, ad nauseum. I’ve told it to myself about Spain. I also have to keep panic at bay.

The point of governance is that leaders listen to the problems and adjust accordingly. If everyone repeats the words of the leaders, they only hear themselves back. There are governments literally governing by listening in on social media, following, rather than leading (google Cambridge Analytica, watch “The Great Hack”). After a small shocked pause, you can see the paid and robot trolls are back, and they are armed with yet more data.

It doesn’t matter if you’re in a democracy or a dictatorship, or anything in between. It’s all our jobs to say it like it is. We can’t take from society with one hand and not give back with the other. Demand the tests. Demand health and essential workers get protective gear. Speak out when people don’t stay in. Not just the seniors — also the super spreaders, like the politicians, and the young. 

About the face masks. We’ve all been given easy instructions to follow:

Don’t go out.

Wash your hands. 

Use hand sanitizer.

Then there are difficult ones:

Wear a face mask only if you are ill. Don’t buy a face mask.

People did stand out at first if they were wearing a mask. Then one day everyone was wearing gloves. Now you look downright wreckless without a face mask, gloves and a shopping bag. Maybe it’s cultural. Maybe you have to hit a certain number before society pressures you into it. 

At the responsible supermarkets, where it’s all provided, we now use hand sanitizers on our gloves! And gloves on gloves. Yeah. 

So let me break down the confusion. You can’t buy a face mask because the health workers don’t have any. If you buy them, they have even less. There are risks to wearing a face mask because if you wear them when out and a Covid-19 carrier sneezes on you and you take the face mask off and lick it all over, then the face mask won’t protect you. You have to use it properly. Like with everything, you have to wash your hands before you use it. You can’t touch it once it’s on. You have to throw it after you’ve used it. And wash your hands again.

Start by getting proper advice on face masks: Harvard Health; WHO.

You only wear a face mask if you have Coronavirus in you. Let’s say you’re not an A-list celebrity with a secret stash of functioning test kits in your bedside table. So you have probably not been testing yourself every hour everyday. At some point in the next few days, weeks, months you are likely to become a carrier. Maybe you are already. 

So the video on how to make a homemade face mask from kitchen roll is my addition to the confusion. 

Do not try this at home. Or do. I hope that’s clear.

The reason I do do this at home is because there are no face masks in the city. Not even for the health workers. A pharmacist recommended I do this, and more pharmacists have since recommended I wear them whenever I’m out. I’m going with their advice. 

Honestly, I don’t think it protects me. It’s not an adequate filter. At best it stops me touching my face. Reminds me not to get close to anyone (it is so stupidly easy to forget). I also wear gloves. I bin it after use. I wash my hands.

I hate wearing it. It steams my glasses. I can barely see. It makes me feel like I will hyperventilate.

I am on a waiting list to get the real deal from the pharmacy. I don’t think I should be. I think the government should sort this out. Only once they have supplied everything the health and essential workers need, then they should send every household a packet containing tests, gloves, masks and hand sanitizer. They should make these available at every food place and medical place. That’s what we should be demanding.