#BocconiCorrespondents. From Madrid, Nicola Speroni
Madrid, 27 April 2020. Day forty-three of the state of emergency declared by the Spanish government. I have been living in Madrid for two and a half years, or rather I have been working in Madrid for two and a half years because I actually have my family in Milan, and until mid-March 2020 I was commuting Italy-Spain every weekend. I have been in Madrid since 8 March, in lockdown like everyone else and going out only for shopping and office. Travel by car, alone. Compliance with all security protocols. Like everyone.
The challenge was (and is ...) to transfer one's working life made of office / meetings / committees / business dinners / travel onto one or more platforms: Teams, Zoom, Hangout, Skype, Houseparty, etc. Despite the clear and close example of Italy, Spain - and Madrid in particular - discovered that it was not exempt from Covid19 during the second week of March, after some prevention errors like a mass demonstration in the square for March 8, and the three thousand Atletico Madrid fans who flew to Liverpool for the match a few days later. These contributed to the subsequent explosion of cases that led Spain to challenge Italy for first place in the sad ranking of contagion and deaths. The contagion curve has been and is very similar to Italy, albeit a little more vertical, and the evolution of politicians' speeches and the measures taken have been completely similar and in line with Italian ones.
But I must say that Madrid reacted with a sense of social responsibility and respect for others out of the ordinary: especially on the streets, not a person or a car is seen on the streets, just a few sporadic dog strollers and little else. Lots of Civil Guard and controls.
Perhaps more than many other cities, Madrid has always been the symbol of "nightlife", of fun and consumption, tapas and restaurants, timetables moved forward ... and now I am discovering a Madrid that, in this strange and absurd situation, experiences everything with a great sense of responsibility, solidarity and silent dignity.
It is very probable that here, as in the whole world, there will soon be an attempt to return to "normal", above all to limit the already serious damage to the economy that has occurred in recent weeks and that will have lasting effects. However, we will have to all learn to understand and live in a new normal that will accompany us for several months. A normality made of different priorities, of different lifestyles and different focuses. And perhaps here, more than in other cities, the great fissure that will separate our pre- and post-Covid-19 lives will be felt more sharply.
Lastly, my thoughts go to the kids, rich in energy and enthusiasm, confined to their homes in one of the most stimulating periods of the year and who, as Gramellini wrote in recent days in Running, are "deprived of the opportunity to share with teachers and companions one of the most memorable periods of their life ".