Covid-19: Spain
Speaking in radio interviews over the past week, Archdeacon David Waller has described the latest situation in Spain as “one step forward, three steps back.”
Archdeacon David (pictured) was invited to give a series of interviews last week on latest developments in Spain to Premier Christian radio, and BBC local stations. These followed the recent decision by the UK Government to introduce self-isolation for those returning the UK, after fears were raised that Spain was experiencing a second wave of coronavirus infections.
Given a situation in which holidaymakers are returning early to the UK with flights brought forward, David, who lives on Mallorca, said there was a mood and sense of real frustration that holidays had been cut short, adding that anyone getting in touch was receiving support from our chaplaincies. He said:
“The Spanish take the tourism industry very seriously. They understand that their customers come from Britain, so they want to protect that.
"This is not the fully-fledged tourist season at all. My largest city, Palma, which is down the motorway from me here, is as if it were winter because there are just not the people around.
It just seemed like it was getting back to a little bit of what it might have been before. It's one step forward and sort of three steps back ... ."
David emphasized local and regional variations in new Covid-19 outbreaks in Spain, which currently centre on Madrid and north-east Spain, including Barcelona.
Asked about Covid-19 impact on our church life in Spain, and the current situation for our chaplaincies, David said:
“Our chaplaincy in Barcelona, for example … were having services outside in an enclosed garden with controlled entry and social distancing, [and] they've had to stop doing them again.”
In BBC local radio interviews, David noted how much effort has been going in to organise virtual church in these times across our 30 or so chaplaincies, and that online services offered during lockdown had been popular.
He said clergy from the diocese in Spain have been really creative and imaginative, both live-streaming and through recorded services: “They are real stars – some are becoming recording artists!”
Speaking to Premier Christian radio, David encouraged people to pray for those who have contracted the virus and for healthcare workers.
"We are also praying for God's guidance for our own decision making," he said. "We're praying for God's guidance as well for the consideration of the full breadth of people's anxieties in this difficult situation.
"We're also praying for and interceding for those who are suffering from the virus itself."
You can listen to Archdeacon David’s interviews at these links:
Timeline: 3:08 – 3:13
Timeline: 3:23 – 3.26
