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  • Measures. The fine print of the alarm decree: take the dog out, yes; walk the child, no

It is Sunday, a sunny Sunday that, under normal circumstances, would have filled the capital's terraces, squares and parks, but it is not a normal Sunday. On the first day of the coronavirus alarm state, with the respective restrictions on movement, those of us who have pets cling to them to take to the streets.

When yesterday the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez clarified that yes, yes the dog could be taken out, it was like a small flash, a relief for confinement. Not only could you go outside to wait a long line at the supermarket to buy groceries, but you had the chance to enjoy an atypical image of Madrid, lonely and full of dogs.

Madrid is a city of dogs. According to the Madrid City Council data, in 2018, the number of dogs in the capital is around 280,000 . I live in the Lavapiés neighborhood -in the downtown district, where more than 15,000 dogs are counted- along with three other roommates, who have always helped me take care of Gabo , my dog. But these days the task of taking him out is more spread out than ever.

"Well, I'm going to take out the bug that I want to stretch my legs." The concern is not if the dog has spent too much time at home, but that humans need to go outside more than they do; Gabo looks at us with weariness every time we show him the leash.

But, as humans confined to their homes, the routine of taking the dog out gives the opportunity to walk through a Madrid that none of its citizens expected to discover.

A week ago, the Paseo del Prado was full of thousands of people celebrating International Women's Day, 8M, but this Sunday the people who circulate along this central street in Madrid can be counted on the fingers of their hands.

El Rastro was always there but this Sunday it is not, something that only got the Civil War and now the coronavirus. Plaza Cascorro, which should be crowded with stalls, is the recreation place for Loreto - dressed in pajamas and a mask - his dog and that of his neighbor: "I am also taking care of taking out the dogs of the older residents of the block , there is no risk. "

An empty Plaza Mayor , with the terraces gathered, without passers-by, which seems to have expanded in size, has become a kind of dog park where dogs walk off leashes and run in search of their balls.

The dogs roam the city freely, sniffing every street, while from the balconies the neighbors talk to each other, as they have never done before, and share confidences.

"I never thought the street would be so quiet," two neighbors say, separated by a meter of brick, while they smoke, leaning on their flower-filled railings and they see how Jesus and Mary Street is empty.

Puerta del Sol , Calle Preciados and Gran Vía itself are deserted but it has also become the route for canine walkers curious to see how the city is: "It really sounds bad to say it, but this is wonderful", says Alfonso, who lives in La Latina and has gone to kilometer zero with his two greyhounds.

You breathe a little calm among all the fear of the coronavirus, but do not forget. The drama is felt the moment the dogs greet each other: you look at the other walker smiling - as Angela Merkel recommends - and the leashes get tangled. The unraveling run becomes an odyssey to respect the human-meter distance, but is accomplished and breathed with relief.

The World Health Organization (WHO) insists that dogs and cats cannot catch or spread this new coronavirus. Please do not abandon your pets, something that is happening in China and Italy, and go outside with him, but one by one and letting him rest from every walk.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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  • Madrid
  • Pedro Sánchez
  • Italy
  • China
  • Angela Merkel
  • Coronavirus

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