Quarantine diary: day 16th

The start of this COVID-19 crisis caught me in New York City, where apparently the virus was coming at a lower pace than in my home town. Measures weren’t applied in the City yet. Kids still were going to school, people gathered in pubs, and restaurants were crowded. And I wondered whether I would have any issues to fly back home or not. Besides an almost four hour delay, carried from the previous flight, as far as I know, everything was fine.

When I landed in Barcelona and left the airport I remember myself thinking that everything seemed pretty normal. I’d say the highway had the traffic you’d expect by the hour. Not packed, definitely not apocalypse-empty. As I drove closer to my hometown things started to change. Once there, the atmosphere was completely different. Shops were closed, except for a couple of small grocery stores. Very few people on the streets, everyone was on their own, most of them wearing N95’s. Apparently, my fellow citizens were strictly following the lockdown, and so did I once I got home.

In the last two weeks I’ve only went out to buy groceries and essential house supplies, that is one of the grounds in which people are allowed to leave their houses.

  • Get food and prescribed drugs.
  • Get medical assistance.
  • Go to work (if you have a job qualified as essential).
  • Go to the bank or insurance company.
  • Provide assistance to elders, children, or dependents.
  • Go back home.
  • Force majeure causes.

These sixteen days I’ve been working from home, and even though I’d say my productivity has been affected, I must confess I’m kind of enjoying it. Of course, I’d love to go for a run, and I’m really fortunate cause my house has pretty big backyard, which is not common at all around here. I’ll tell you more about my home office setup and morning routine in my next posts.