COVID19 Pt2 - How did we end up in a state of alarm?

So, to set the scene…

I was renting an apartment alone in El Puerto de Mazarron and through February & March, much like most of the world, my free time was spent keeping track of the news and social media relating to Wuhan and the development of a virus known then as 2019 novel coronavirus - Little did we know what was soon to follow for us in Spain and the rest of the world.

As we watched the figures in Spain spread and cases confirmed in all 50 provinces, on Friday 13th of March we received a phone call at work advising us to return to our homes and await further instruction from our boss and to keep an eye on the local news and press releases from the Policia Local.  

It transpired at this stage that our local government was putting us into a state of lockdown, as there were concerns that Spanish nationals from big cities, particularly Madrid, were heading to the Costa Calida (Mazarron specifically), to their second residencies at the beach that afternoon. 

The weekend that followed was one of clear nervousness and apprehension for what the future would actually to hold for not only us as individuals but for the area of Mazarron, the region of Murcia, Spain and the rest of the world as a hold as a full lockdown and state of alarm under a Royal Decree was announced throughout Spain. 

As the streets became deserted, businesses closed down and the Police presence grew, so did the shock, apprehension and fear amongst the Spanish nationals and the British, French, Dutch and German expat communities. 

Over the weekend certain rules were fed through to us and we began to understand our fate, although we had no idea how long it would last, the impact it would have and if things would ever return to `normal'?