Carmen (ES), 43, economist, Madrid/Spain

The first days of March we had already been quite concerned. When we came to pick up our kids from school, the mothers were already talking about the virus, and one day late February I asked the school nurse about the measures the school was going to adopt regarding the topic: soap in the bathrooms and classrooms and instructions on how they should wash their hands and why ... etc.
We were not surprised when they announced the state of alarm. For days there had already been talks about how they wanted to impose a lockdown on Madrid. Since early February we had watched the news and seen the shocking images that came from China, where millions of people were locked up ... in fact, what surprised us was that measures were not taken much earlier and that large sports events or demonstrations were still allowed during the first week of March.

I don't think that the Spanish government has reacted correctly! We believe that they reacted too late and that they have managed many things poorly. Late because there had already been signs of concern at the beginning of March, both in Italy and also with regards to the number of infections in our country. We must remember that on February 25 the WHO said that a pandemic could be declared if the countries did not start to act. By acting so late, especially in large cities with a large population density such as Madrid (almost 7million), a large number of affected people is to be expected.

Likewise, the WHO had already issued a warning at the end of January that the countries should be arranging medical supplies and our government did not do so, thinking that we were more than prepared. As we were also too late on this topic, this medical material was really expensive for us and on top of that, much of it (respirators, masks, tests) was of poor quality. That we were not able to supply our doctors or patients with appropriate material at the beginning and at the peak of the pandemic, has been painful and frustrating.

I organized my time in quarantine creating strict daily routines to continue maintaining discipline with my work and our childrens' homeschooling. What I missed the most: being able to visit family and friends. Also being able to travel.

Initially my biggest challenge was to keep calm when not knowing if all my family and friends were fine, since many of them are doctors. Later, I tried not to get too angry with political mistakes. Basically, I am concerned about the health of my family, friends and other citizens, as well as the country's economic situation.

My professional career has been affected by the lockdown in that respect that already planned work trips had to be cancelled. Moreover, my creativity and drive to work really suffered over time, especially after two months locked up and having to attend school and professional tasks at the same time.

What positive aspects I can derive from this crisis ... Many things, the strong family unit, the exclusive time dedicated to our children without any other commitment. Time to read, cook, bake, relax, and also get bored.

What I will remember especially from that particular time: The silence of the city, without planes, without traffic, without people for the first few weeks, but at the same time this silence contained the fear and uncertainty of not knowing if you or someone in your family could be sick or infected. I will remember the sadness of people who have lost a relative. We know people who have died or been ill. This has generated great anguish in our family.

We will also remember our lack of freedom of movement. Today, May 18, after 69 confined days and with 5 new infections in Madrid, we still cannot go to visit our loved ones. We have questioned some measures of strict confinement, especially after more than two months. During the first weeks, from March 14 to April 27, we could not even go out for a walk. After April 27, only those who had children were allowed outside for a walk for 1hr and no further than 1km away from our residence.

Los primeros días del mes de marzo ya los vivimos con cierta inquietud. Las mamas del colegio hablábamos del virus cuando íbamos a buscar a nuestros hijos al colegio y yo un día de finales de febrero le pregunte al enfermero del colegio sobre las medidas que el colegio iba a adoptar respecto al tema: jabón en clase o/y en bañ ños de como debían lavárse las manos y porque ...etc.