Lanzarote university students studying in Madrid have decided to return to the island after the closure of all schools, institutes and universities in the capital for 15 days was decreed.
"I'm leaving because, to be honest, it's a bit scary," says Marta, who studies Medicine at the Complutense University of Madrid.
Marta resides in the Fundación Sepi hall of residence, located in the University City, and states that of the 150 students who live there, "more than half" will leave in these days. A stampede situation that is repeated in other university residences, given the fear of many parents that these residences will also be closed.
"All those who are from the Peninsula have already gone to their homes and those of us who are from the Canary Islands or the Balearic Islands, if we don't leave tomorrow, we will leave the day after or on Thursday," explains Alejandro, a Lanzarote resident who studies Law at the University of Alcalá de Henares and lives in a university residence in said Madrid town.
"Here, if there were 600 people, right now there are 300 left and by Friday there will be 60 and that's because they are from the USA, Russia, Albania, because they come from Erasmus. But of the national students, I would say that four or five will stay," says Alejandro, who believes that "there is no reason to stay" in Madrid either.
And this young man, who also plays basketball in the Alcalá de Henares club, states that he has also canceled that activity. "The Madrid Basketball Federation has also issued a statement now suspending all matches," he adds.
Difficulties getting flights to Lanzarote
In Alejandro's case, he will return to the island this Wednesday, but Marta will not be able to do so until Thursday, because she says she has not been able to get a direct flight until then. "When I went to buy it, there weren't any left for today or tomorrow," she explains.
In fact, other Lanzarote university students will have to make a stopover on other islands to be able to return to Lanzarote, as is the case of Silvia, a young woman who also studies Medicine in Madrid. "I wanted to leave today but there were no flights left and I'm leaving tomorrow, but passing through Tenerife," says this young woman, who explains that she has decided to return so as not to be alone and for "fear that they will close the airport" and "not be able to leave" Madrid.
"All my friends from Lanzarote are also leaving, except those who work and have to stay, although some also because they can do it from home", adds Silvia, who explains that, in her case, the first thing that was suspended was the internship she was doing at the Gregoria Marañón hospital "a week ago"
How it is lived in Madrid in the face of the coronavirus
Regarding the situation in Madrid, they all agree that concern about the coronavirus has increased in recent days. "It's a monothematic issue, really. You walk down the street and everyone is talking about the same thing," says Marta.
"Little by little, more masks are being used and people are going out less. Now that they have said about the classes, people are giving it more importance. The measures that people are taking from yesterday and today are quite big," says Alejandro, who also witnessed a "large queue" in the supermarket this Monday. "And this morning, a colleague who went to Mercadona told me that the shelves of rice packets, macaroni, hygiene products and basic necessities were almost empty," he adds.
"The streets are much emptier, there are hardly any people in the gyms, and what happened yesterday in the supermarkets was crazy. You can tell that people are more worried, although there is also the lack of information that many people have. For example, the masks, everyone buying masks like crazy, which in my hospital almost ran out," says Silvia.
Prevention measures when arriving in Lanzarote
When they return to Lanzarote, these three students state that they will not quarantine themselves for two weeks, but that they will take measures in case they could be carriers of the coronavirus. "I'm going to try to control myself, I'm not going to be going out, but not a complete isolation either," says Silvia, who says that she has already been taking "hand hygiene measures" in Madrid.
"What I plan to do is to leave the house as little as possible in the first five days, not go to visit my grandmother just in case, and, if I have any symptoms, I would get tested as soon as possible, although for the moment I am very well. Also, in Alcalá de Henares there are very few cases and those that there are are in the hospital," says Alejandro.
As for Marta, she explains that she had planned to go to the Hospital when she arrived on the island to have the test done, but that, after talking to her mother, she has decided that "she will stay at home for a few days".
