Written on Monday, 6th of April 2020.
In Spain we have been at home for 22 days now, the last 7 of which are compulsory for almost everyone. For me it is actually only day 8 that I am home.
Since 8 years I live with my Spanish wife, Lola, in Altea on the Costa Blanca: a region known for its beautiful beaches, golf courses and excellent weather. At the moment, life as we know it has come to a complete standstill and we can only go out into the street for groceries.
Our 3 children, the school-aged boys aged 6 and 8 and our 18-month-old daughter who normally attends day care, are also at home.
In the morning, the school provides online lessons, including examination and homework discussion, via the video connection. The gym teacher forwards via his Youtube channel assignments that must be carried out while sending a homemade video as proof.
It is not boring at home I can tell you that.
In the afternoon we play football in the garden and after lunch the boys meet with all classmates in Fortnite’s digital playground. Friends are not allowed to come over. Fortnite and videocalls are the solution.
The virus has a major impact on the world with many hot spots resulting in far too many fatalities. Spain is one of the most affected countries in Europe. This beautiful country is huge and diverse. 46.7 million people live on an area of 505,990 km2. Healthcare is completely free here for all workers and pensioners who have worked in Spain. More than 513,000 people work in public health care. A job often without any social status.
That status has completely changed in the past 2 weeks. The caregivers are praised every day throughout the country while they work hard to keep everyone safe and healthy. On television we also see heartbreaking images of overcrowded hospitals and long lines of patients waiting for their turn. Many initiatives are now in place to help people working in health care and other care providers. Hotels in Madrid, Barcelona and other major cities offer free accommodation so that people do not necessarily have to return to their families while risking to infect them. Together with the charity foundation of its founder Amancio Ortega, Zara’s parent company Inditex, has donated € 63 million to respiratory equipment and other medical equipment.
Solidarity is almost tangible in Spain at the moment.
There are, as of this writing, 117,710 identified Covid-19 infections and the incredible number of 10,935 fatalities have been reached.
Fortunately, there are already 30,513 people cured of the virus in Spain by now.
(see these official figures on the website of the Spanish government https://covid19.isciii.es ).
Most of the identified Covid-19 infections and fatalities are located in the regions of Madrid and Catalonia. After all, most people in Spain live in these regions and often very close together.
Costa Blanca, our region: 4.7 million people live in the region of Valencia, which includes the province of Alicante. In terms of Covid-19 infections and fatalities, it is relatively quiet here. However odd that may sound given the far-reaching consequences. There are 6,308 Covid-19 infections detected in the Valencia region and regrettably also 613 fatalities: 64 in the province of Castellón, 263 in the province of Alicante and 286 in the province of Valencia (see these official figures from the regional government here)
The impact of the virus on the Costa Blanca, and I am very happy with it under these circumstances, is for the most part economic. The weekend and holiday homes of the millions of international homeowners and equally so many Spaniards from other regions are currently all empty. Restaurants and shops are closed too. Our office is of course also closed. We are however available by phone and email as many of our clients have already confirmed.
For some of our customers the current situation unfortunately means that until we can go to the notary in a few weeks they have to wait for the key to their new home. Others have to wait a little longer for the key until we have been able to finish their home under construction.
We are all set to go as soon as permitted to deliver all homes under construction before the summer and without loss of quality!
It goes without saying that we are available for questions or to discuss the current situation to everyone who contacts our office. We do our best to stay in touch with everyone on a personal level and to render our real estate services to the highest level (see testimonials here).
Our website is updated constantly with new offers new build and resale homes. If you want to be automatically informed by email about our new listings, you can easily set up an email alert here.
In the meantime, we do our utmost best to answer all emails and information requests, as you are used to, within 24 hours. That can be bit tricky at the moment. Working from home is a wonderful concept when you can concentrate on your work. Making phone calls has taken on a new dimension for me these days while being at home as it is practically impossible to speak without background noise.
Like you and everyone else, we hope that the situation will change quickly and that the number of fatalities around the world will not continue to rise. Our hopes and thoughts go out to all the care workers and the families who bear the terrible consequences of this pandemic.
Staying at home, thinking ahead and acting decisively is currently the motto. Keep thinking positive and stay healthy!
Hopefully we will see each other later this year on the Costa Blanca. If only for a cup of coffee or a beer!
Sincerely,
Tom Bruijnzeel
On our website you can find property for sale in Spain:
Villa with private pool Spain for sale
Penthouse with large terrace for sale
New build villa for sale
Costa Blanca North villa for sale
Costa Blanca South villa for sale
Sea front property for sale Spain
Tom Bruijnzeel is the author of this informative article about Things you want to know when buying a property in Spain and others on our website. Tom has a master degree in Law from the University of Rotterdam (the Netherlands), holds a bachelor degree in Business and Economics and is fluent in Spanish, French, English and Dutch with full business proficiency in German. In 2013 he started nardia real estate agency in Spain. The website www.nardia.es is available to all who are thinking of investing in a property in Spain or already own a property and have questions about property tax in Spain, the correct registration of a property in Spain or the taxes due when selling a house in Spain.
If you want to connect via Linkedin:linkedin.com/in/tombruijnzeel
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