Don't meet with more than six people. Don't talk to strangers. In fact, don't even go near them. Wash your hands often and be careful what you touch. If possible, don't sing or shout. No dining out. Oh! And I want you home before ten at night!
These could be the rules that an overprotective and authoritarian father imposes on his poor teenage son, but in reality, they are some of the restrictions in place for months to try to curb the spread of Covid-19.
I don't doubt that these are absolutely necessary measures and that the government, both here and there, in no case intends to limit the freedoms of citizens. That said, I often wonder if this kind of wave of forced puritanism that the coronavirus has brought us hasn't come to stay. What if it turns out that once we leave the pandemic behind, we don't rush en masse into the streets or give ourselves over to debauchery as some experts—I can't remember who now—predict?
Imagine that for a good while we are a city of people who only interact with those in their trusted circle, because "you never know who might have the virus." Who don't meet up for dinner because "there's no place like home." Who never go out at night because, "since we now eat so early, by ten we're already in bed." Who wouldn't set foot on a dance floor even if you killed them, because "with so many people packed in there, it's very easy to catch something" or who only take local vacations, because "at least here, if something happens to you, you know you have good hospitals nearby." Doesn't that sound terrible?I often wonder if this kind of wave of forced puritanism that the coronavirus has brought us hasn't come to stay
Well, there's something even worse. Imagine now that the figure of the neighbor-cop, so in vogue in recent times, also perpetuates among us. I think of that model citizen who, perpetrated behind the blind of his dining room, is always ready to report the neighbor who takes the dog out to pee outside its schedule, as if it were a criminal. Who doesn't understand that teenagers, with their hormones in turmoil, find it impossible to maintain a safe distance when they meet on the bench below the house, and secretly takes photos that he shares in friend or family chats to show "how irresponsible youth is." Who, when passing by a terrace and seeing five or six people at the same table, wearily chews between his teeth: "They deserve to end up in the ICU." Hopefully, when all this is over and they no longer have legal or moral coverage to scrutinize everyone, they will stop issuing good citizen cards.
I eagerly await the return of the festive, rogue, and mischievous Barcelona. The one that has no hours, because it never has enough. Lthat fills bars, restaurants, and nightclubs. The one who sings and dances surrounded by strangers. The one who hugs and kisses. The one who lives and lets liveThe Barcelona I like.I eagerly await the return of the festive, rogue, and mischievous Barcelona. The one that has no hours, because it never has enough