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Lock down. A glimpse from the front line..
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By *otlovefun42 OP Couple
over a year ago
Costa Blanca Spain... |
So we had been on lock down since Sunday and apart from one foray to the supermarket hadn't ventured outside our little bubble since then.
Opposite our house is a small commercial centre that is usually busy with bars, restaurants, hairdressers and a small mini market. With the exception of the mini market everything is closed and apart from the odd person going to and from the mini market not a soul in sight. I can stand in our front garden and only hear the birds. Not another sound.
Yesterday it was time to fly back to Germany.
Thankfully our re-booked flight was still OK so at 5 pm we set off to drive the 50 kms from Playa Flamenca to Alicante airport.
We had checked if it was OK to drive and were told that as long as we could show our flight tickets we would be fine. We also usually add a few extra minutes to the journey time for traffic, as there are a couple of bottlenecks on the N332 that can slow us down.
We had barely driven 1 km when we hit our first road block, time to test the tickets. A couple of Guardia Civil guys waved us down and asked where we were going? To the airport I replied in my best bad Spanish and thrust the tickets towards him. He wasn't taking anything for granted and carefully studied both tickets. After what was really only a few seconds (but seemed like half an hour) he returned the tickets and waved us on. Round one to us.
We passed another road block at La Mata but they seemed more interested in the opposite direction and just waved us through. The next one at Guardamar pulled us over again with the same procedure and result as the previous one.
The N332 (our main road) is usually very busy. In the summer months parts of it are often described as a car park. However this was eerie. As we approached the airport we did see a few more but for around 90% of the journey we saw no more than a dozen other cars. To give anyone who knows the road an idea, on the stretch through the Santa Pola salt lakes we didn't see one other car. Not in front, behind, or in the opposite direction.
I've been flying through Alicante airport for over 50 years going back to the original "open" terminal in the late 60's early 70's. In all those years I've never seen it so empty, and I mean empty not just quiet. At security we sailed through, not one person in front of us. The only thing open was the airside newsagent, everything else was closed.
We watched our inbound flight disembark and I counted 14 people, maybe I missed one or two but it certainly wasn't many more. Our return flight was around half full.
To be fair our flight was in the evening and I suppose that it would have been busier earlier in the day but Spain really is shut down.
As a footnote, when we landed in Germany we had to go through full passport control, even though we were within the Schengen zone. It gave us a heart stopping moment when I showed my British passport. I was asked for proof of residency. Thankfully I had enough paperwork on me to do so. I really don't know what would have happened otherwise.
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"So we had been on lock down since Sunday and apart from one foray to the supermarket hadn't ventured outside our little bubble since then.
Opposite our house is a small commercial centre that is usually busy with bars, restaurants, hairdressers and a small mini market. With the exception of the mini market everything is closed and apart from the odd person going to and from the mini market not a soul in sight. I can stand in our front garden and only hear the birds. Not another sound.
Yesterday it was time to fly back to Germany.
Thankfully our re-booked flight was still OK so at 5 pm we set off to drive the 50 kms from Playa Flamenca to Alicante airport.
We had checked if it was OK to drive and were told that as long as we could show our flight tickets we would be fine. We also usually add a few extra minutes to the journey time for traffic, as there are a couple of bottlenecks on the N332 that can slow us down.
We had barely driven 1 km when we hit our first road block, time to test the tickets. A couple of Guardia Civil guys waved us down and asked where we were going? To the airport I replied in my best bad Spanish and thrust the tickets towards him. He wasn't taking anything for granted and carefully studied both tickets. After what was really only a few seconds (but seemed like half an hour) he returned the tickets and waved us on. Round one to us.
We passed another road block at La Mata but they seemed more interested in the opposite direction and just waved us through. The next one at Guardamar pulled us over again with the same procedure and result as the previous one.
The N332 (our main road) is usually very busy. In the summer months parts of it are often described as a car park. However this was eerie. As we approached the airport we did see a few more but for around 90% of the journey we saw no more than a dozen other cars. To give anyone who knows the road an idea, on the stretch through the Santa Pola salt lakes we didn't see one other car. Not in front, behind, or in the opposite direction.
I've been flying through Alicante airport for over 50 years going back to the original "open" terminal in the late 60's early 70's. In all those years I've never seen it so empty, and I mean empty not just quiet. At security we sailed through, not one person in front of us. The only thing open was the airside newsagent, everything else was closed.
We watched our inbound flight disembark and I counted 14 people, maybe I missed one or two but it certainly wasn't many more. Our return flight was around half full.
To be fair our flight was in the evening and I suppose that it would have been busier earlier in the day but Spain really is shut down.
As a footnote, when we landed in Germany we had to go through full passport control, even though we were within the Schengen zone. It gave us a heart stopping moment when I showed my British passport. I was asked for proof of residency. Thankfully I had enough paperwork on me to do so. I really don't know what would have happened otherwise.
"
Good to hear G/A. I do fear we are in for a long haul. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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I’ve travelled that 332 for 10 years running and each year it gets busier and busier with all the new developments in Villamartín, what a weird feeling that it’s all empty. |
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By *otlovefun42 OP Couple
over a year ago
Costa Blanca Spain... |
"
Good to hear G/A. I do fear we are in for a long haul."
Yes it's looking like it.
We are pretty much resigned to not seeing Spain again for at least 3 months maybe (probably) more.
I think when we do finally return it will be a much different place.
Really feeling sorry for all our friends who have businesses there. I fear many won't survive.  |
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By *ucianpoundCouple
over a year ago
Cap d’Agde, France |
It started Saturday night for us.
Here in France we had spent the early part of last week arranging a group meet, 5 couples, in a swing club in Narbonne.
As the week wore on people started to drop out but as we had booked a hotel near the club we still went to Narbonne
With another couple also staying in the hotel we decided against the club, had a meal in the town which turned out that we were their last customers before they were shut down.
An extra drink with the patrons whilst commiserating with them the potential loss of their business.
Our hotel meet was perhaps our last for many months but the next morning we ventured, the four of us into the town centre.
Bars, restaurants, shops, markets all shut, only the old central covered market still open and very well stocked.
Monday night Macron spoke to the nation for 20 minutes declaring the lock down.
We are now only allowed out of our houses during the morning, individually to either buy food or visit the pharmacy,
We need to have a signed piece of paper stating our names, address, DOB and reason for venturing out.
Non compliance results in an on the spot 135 euro fine.
Out little town supermarket is allowing 50 people at a time in meaning you have to queue outside, 2 metres apart for up to 30 minutes.
The supermarkets are very well stocked and the day I went people were not taking more than they needed.
This morning I bought some medicine in the Pharmacy, where they had set up a one way system and are doling out hand sanitiser at the door, the grocery shop next door was fully stocked.
As far as we can tell people are fully complying but France has also mobilised 100,000 gendarmes and police to enforce the curfew.
The plan to flatten the curve should begin to work but where we go next is a dilemma .
The situation in France though is that awareness has been raised in just a few days to the highest level and I think most people will do their best to comply.
Macron was decisive and showed true leadership, such a contrast to the bumbling hapless Boris Johnson who only makes suggestions, not directives and is libel to change the plan as he goes along.
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