Spain

When the COVID-19 virus first began showing up in Europe, the first countries to have large numbers of cases were Italy and Spain, but how did a virus that began in the Wuhan province of China spread so violently in the Mediterranean region? Experts have been debating this, finding reasons such as the large proportions of elderly people, or the intimate culture and customs, but what really set Spain up for a losing battle against this virus was their government’s late response. Spain’s lack of precautionary measures such not as stocking up on medical equipment, including ventilators and protective gear for first responders, and not prohibiting travel, specifically in regards to a soccer match in Italy at which thousands of Spaniards both fans and team staff became infected and then travelled back home.

Initial Outbreak and Spread

The sentiment of the Spanish government was very unworried about the spread of COVID-19 and therefore so was that of the public. It is contended that the beginning of COVID-19 in Spain was a result of not quarantining and managing the returning soccer team and fans from the match in Lombardi. The soccer team and fans from Valencia are considered to be the first cases brought into Spain and from there it quickly spread as Spainiards were not distancing or quarantining but rather socializing and gathering unaware of the hidden danger right at their door. During initial outbreaks in China, Italy, and Iran it was clear that the immediate halt of public gatherings and events was integral to controlling an even more chaotic outbreak. However, only a few days before the country’s shut down and severe measures were finally taken in Spain, the country’s most populated city of Madrid held a massive public demonstration for International Women’s Day. The capital city quickly became a hotbed for the virus, and that along with Spain’s unpreparedness, ignited a powder keg that saw the infection and death of thousands. The Guardian contends “How did Spain get its coronavirus response so wrong?” that the virus infected large numbers of people in Madrid, and after the closing of universities and other places, people began going out to bars and restaurants more and also travelled throughout the country to visit other homes.

Different Outcomes Across Spain

It was not until a man from Valencia, Spain became infected despite not travelling anywhere that the reality of the crisis at hand became evident to the Spanish government. Spain has a similar federal-state relationship to that of the United States, whereas 17 different autonomous communities make decisions regionally and nationally. The fractured response within Spain has been attributed to a lack of coordination among and between different autonomous communities. As of May 10, the number of cases in Spain has almost reached a quarter of a million, with over 26,000 reported deaths. The regions of Spain with the highest cases are those with large population centers, Madrid and Barcelona (both with over 50,000 cases), but other regions with smaller populations have proportionally less number of cases (NY Times, Spain Coronavirus Map and Case Count). Also, despite sharing a border only with Spain, Portugal has been able to contain the virus better than most, with under 30,000 total cases and a little more than one thousand deaths.

Improvement and Getting Back to Normal

The months of March and April were extremely difficult for Spanish government, healthcare, and essential business workers, along with the thousands that lost their lives or the lives of someone close to them, and while it may be small, improvement is slowly being made. As of April 14, nearly 300,000 nonessential workers were able to return to work in Spain (CNN) and the country will begin easing lockdown measures, however given that severity of the impacts of COVID-19 in Spain, careful consideration is being taken throughout every process in returning the country to normal in order to avoid a potential resurgence. Progress is being made and in terms of COVID-19 deaths, as Spain has successfully flattened the curve and reports show that the government is being much more thorough in their response than they initially had. This is shown by the government handing out millions of protective masks to the public, testing people by the millions, providing healthcare workers the protective personal equipment they need, and more. The reopening of the country and easing on restrictions is still being questioned by some, but currently Spain is making efforts to bring people out of their homes for the being, yet the country is still concerned. According to an ABC News report, the country has heeded the words of many scientists that say a second or third wave of this virus could possibly reappear and that Spain will not have such a laissez-faire attitude towards addressing the virus next time.

(Link below: CNN video report)

Hundreds of thousands return to work as Spain relaxes coronavirus lockdown Around 300,000 non-essential workers are estimated to have gone back to their jobs in Spain on Monday as the country began to lift lockdown restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus, a spokesperson for Madrid's regional government told CNN.

It is easy to point out the mistakes and underestimations that Spain, Italy, and the United States made, but the reality is that no one had any idea about how much this virus would affect the world order. In its early stages, we were unaware that some of those that had been infected with COVID-19 could have been spreading it to others, despite not having symptoms and that is possibly how this virus was able to be thought of not as a big deal. It is clear that the geographical path of this virus within Spain first exploded in the large population centers of the country, and from there thousands travelled across the Iberian peninsula and spread COVID-19 in almost every corner of Spain. However, whereas some countries took preemptive measures even as early as right after China and Italy were having large numbers of cases, Spain’s Prime Minister said that the country would only have a small number of cases. It is fair to say that the country’s lack of ventilators, protective equipment for its healthcare workers, as well as its spread geographically around the peninsula put Spain in the unfortunate position that many other countries are facing as well.

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