Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2020 11:33am
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/18/world/europe/spain-children-lockdown-coronavirus.html
The article below states that Mercadona will not stop one parent shopping with a child;
https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2020/03/16/coronavirus-british-expat-questions-about-spains-lockdown-answered-from-dog-walking-to-airport-pick-ups/
but only if it is the nearest.
I am sorry that UKHandyMan4Hire is upset or cross with our replies but we are honestly only trying to help. Nobody wants to get fined €601, let alone risk catching or indeed spreading this awful disease and if Mrs UKHandyMan4Hire had been stopped, with possible purchases from 6 supermarkets and away from her usual town of residence, I think she would have had a hard time justifying it. Supermarkets are high risk so the more you visit, the higher the risk, especially when so many carriers are asymptomatic and as he so rightly says the virus remains live on packaging etc.
Two of us have suggested contacting the local police to get written authorisation to be out with the little one to visit the nearest supermarket, pharmacy, correos etc and if necessary to travel further afield for justifiable reasons and I still think this would be a good idea and can't think why it would cause offense. There are always going to be justified reasons for going outside the set confines but surely it would be better to pre-empt this than to try to explain to the police at the side of the road when facing a fine.
There have been regular posts on here and other forums with people wanting to visit the next town to get a specific (and non essential) preferred food item, or to get a takeaway 10 km away or to buy wild rabbit food from a specialist shop, or because Mr can't (?) do the shopping so it is obvious there is still a bit of confusion over what is and what isn't essential travel.
When the restrictions are eased for children, it won't be total freedom for them, it will just allow them to get out in the fresh air and burn off some energy under strict guidelines. There are probably more forum members in the "at risk" groups than there are with young children and I, for one, am taking this VERY seriously and I would prefer that my husband shops where he can see that strict guidelines are being adhered to. We both have chronic conditions which make us especially vulnerable but mine is worse which is why my husband does the shopping and why I take precautions to the max and I would prefer to think that people in my local supermarket have not come from Elche or Torrevieja or Madrid or Barcelona or just done a tour of 5 other supermarkets.
Apart from at the very beginning of lockdown my husband has rarely been unable to find essential items at Mercadona in Albatera, only fresh milk has been a bit hit and miss so maybe if we knew what essential items it took 6 supermarket visits to find then the replies could have been different.
I'm sorry if further offense is taken by this post but I want to live to see my first grandchild whose birth I missed due to the lockdown and would prefer to see him sooner rather than later but the more people who flout the rules the longer this will go on so I have reasons to be both angry and frightened.