View of Parcent from our house
Saturday 14 March
Parcent is a small village with a population of about
1000. This includes about 100 non-Spanish
residents, mostly British, Dutch or German.
It is about 6km from the small town of Jalon (population 3000) which
gives its name to the valley. The large
coastal towns of Denia, Calpe and Benidorm are 10-30 miles away.
It is a very isolated village and the Spanish have made
the new residents very welcome. Most of
the locals consider the nearby village of Alcalali (about 2 miles)
foreigners! Each of the villages have
their own, and very Spanish, identity.
We have been very happy here for 14 years. We mix with the locals and feel part of the
community. However, like most ex pats,
we tend to mix more with the British and Dutch. This is largely to do with language. The locals speak Valenciano, which even
other Spanish find difficult to understand.
A little like a Geordie moving to Liverpool.
Our local town hall has one member of staff who speaks
English, and she sends an email to inform us of any local developments of
interest. Mostly bin collection times or
social occasions in the village.
There is a large ex pat population along the coast and
this has resulted in two English language weekly newspapers. There is also an English language radio
station, a sort of local Radio 2. We
can receive UK TV here, which is the main source of our news and entertainment.
Our first notification of the impending Lockdown was an
email from the town hall. Since then we
have been notified that bulk rubbish has been suspended, and also that the post
office has closed. But nothing at all
about the wider restrictions imposed by the Spanish national government.
The most significant source of information has been
Facebook. The British Consulate has its
own page, and is the most reliable. But
there are also many local groups, and many of them translate official
notifications from the national government and the police. Our main source of local and national
information is Jalon Valley Connect, which though unofficial is strictly
monitored.
It was on Facebook that we were first informed that Spain
had declared a state of emergency. On
Saturday 14 March we read that from midnight all bars, restaurants and non-food
shops throughout Spain would be closed for 14 days. In addition everyone would be confined to
their home, and only allowed to leave to:
For essential workers to go to and from work
Go food shopping
Visit medical establishments or chemists
Walk dogs near your home
Anyone else found outside would be subject to fines of
300 to 1000 euro
This came as a complete shock to us, and as far as I know
to all of Spain. Facebook was buzzing
with comment, much of it obviously uninformed.
Most comments on Jalon Valley Connect are in English or Dutch, but quite
a few are Spanish. And of course there
is a translation mode.
Sunday 15 March
Throughout Sunday 15 March we tried to come to terms with
the implications of the Lockdown. With
shops closed we had no legal reason to leave the house, so could only talk to
neighbours on either side. But we could
ask questions on Facebook and follow developments throughout Spain.
It soon became obvious that the restrictions meant that
no one could leave the house for recreational purposes. No walking or other exercise. Even when allowed you had to go on your
own. Only one person in a car, even
going to work. We read of walkers and
cyclists being fined for breaking the curfew, and the police set up checks on
all roads to ensure that no one was making an unauthorised journey.
Within 48 hours Spain had closed down, and it was
becoming obvious that this would apply to everyone and that it would be
strictly enforced.
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