Coronavirus: Kettering man adjusts to new life in Spain

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

48 hours into lockdown, Brian McLaughlin acknowledged it’s a little boring, but his spirits are bolstered by the nightly cheers of his neighboring apartment dwellers.

McLaughlin, 25, from Kettering is a graduate student in Salamanca, about 130 miles northwest of Madrid. Saturday night, Spain joined Italy in going under lockdown.

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McLaughlin says most people are only allowed to leave home to go to the pharmacy or grocery store—something he did Monday morning to buy some fruit and milk. Those who go out for any other reason risk getting stopped by police and possibly fined.

Daily classes at his school have been canceled and have been slow to go online. He said he is not permitted to go for a walk or run and has resorted to exercising on a yoga mat and using a jump rope on his balcony.

It’s also there he interacts with others in the same boat. At night, people hang out windows and yell to each other and cheer. “It’s not like there’s a parade or anything they’re cheering about. We’re just all in the same situation and trying to keep each other’s spirits up.”

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McLaughlin said people seem accepting of their circumstances and are taking it seriously. Initially, they were told the lockdown would last 15 days, but it is now indefinite.

His advice if a lockdown is implemented in the U.S.? “Just take it seriously. You’ll get through it.”

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