How Spain’s Coronavirus-Infection Rate Became One of the World’s Highest
In Madrid, close to three thousand coronavirus deaths have been reported in nursing homes, where military members have reportedly found bodies unattended for days.Photograph by Felipe Dana / AP
On Sunday, March 8th, Pilar González met with dozens of retirees outside the Prado Museum, in Madrid. They had come together to celebrate International Women’s Day, for the fourth consecutive year, gathering in front of the iconic bronze statue of Diego Velázquez that sits outside the building’s west entrance. After everyone arrived, the group made its way to Plaza de Cibeles, where thousands of protesters joined in raucous chants of “A Rapist in Your Path” and waved cardboard signs that read “The Real Epidemic is Patriarchy.” Like many protesters, González, who is seventy-one and a former store owner, wore a yellow vest with purple clothing, which matched the distinct color of her hair. For weeks, news reports had chronicled the coronavirus’s spread across Spain, but few people stayed home. The march was as lively as in past years, and it was one of hundreds of mass gatherings held in the country that day. Hours earlier, nearly ten thousand followers of Vox, a far-right party, had rallied at an event in the city’s south, where its leaders denounced the “totalitarian madness” of feminism. And, in the evening, soccer aficionados packed a large stadium to see Real Madrid play against Betis. To many Spaniards, including González, the pandemic seemed distant. No lockdown measures or even warnings had been issued by the government. To the contrary, the First Lady, the Vice-President, several ministers, and prominent politicians had urged people to take to the streets that Sunday. So why consider staying home?