Small steps

After 6 weeks of near complete lockdown, we were given a few new liberties. The first was allowing the children outside for some exercise and play. Kids under 14 were allowed outside the house for 1 hour, within a 1km radius of the house, once a day, with 1 adult, between 9am and 9pm. And they opened the beach for kids to play.

• 

• 

The very first morning the kids could go out was like Christmas morning for our kids. Oliver was the first one awake (that NEVER happens, even on Christmas morning). We were all dressed, fed and out the door by 9am. We had the world to ourselves. We were out before the local government had been able to remove the tape to signify that the beach was open. We played on the boardwalk until we saw a guy taking down the tape, double checked that it was okay, then spent the rest of the time on the beach.

The kept an eye on us, however.

• 

• 

One fun thing was many of Leo’s friends walking by and saying hello (unfortunately, because of the location of Oliver’s school, his friends live more than 1 km away).

• 

• 

A week later (7 weeks into the lockdown), we got a second new freedom… permission for adults to exercise outdoors!!! This new freedom does come with a very controlled schedule so that children, adults and seniors are all out separately. And just like the kids, we get to go out 1 time a day, but we can go anywhere in town for any length of time within our time windows (I’m not sure why kids are limited so much more).

First day I could go out for a run was like Christmas morning for me.

• 

• 

Todd was pretty happy to get out too.

Surprisingly, most of the time that we have been out with the kids we are the only ones there.

• 

• 

• 

But during the adult exercise time, there are lots of people out, even at dawn (when I was out).

The downside of our new freedom is that the window for kids to get outside has been reduced to noon-7. That means our boys cannot get out first thing in the morning anymore. They really loved getting out first thing.

• 

• 

Spain’s president has laid out a 4 stage asymmetrical deescalation of the lockdown (meaning that not every region of Spain will proceed through the stages at the same rate), mandating a minimum of 2 weeks at each stage. If all goes well, Spain will reach a “new normalcy” by mid to late June. “New normalcy” will still mean social distancing, and all restaurants, stores and public locations at 30% capacity. For now, I’m ecstatic that we all can get out for some exercise and to play every day.