«An alarm has been generated that in London we do not live»

Bover, with his two granddaughters, on one of their walks through the parks of London.

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You don’t paint in pubs, or dinners in restaurants, or Christmas gatherings. All non-essential shops, as well as gyms and hair salons, closed. London looks like a ghost town or at least that is what is intended, after the Government of Boris Johnson tighten restrictions due to new strain of coronavirus.

“If I’m honest, an external alarm has been generated that here we are not living as such”, try to reassure Margalida Bover, 67-year-old felanitxera, who since last December 6 has been in the capital of the United Kingdom to spend the holidays with her daughter Libertad and her two granddaughters.

«Friends call me to ask how we are. There is an inordinate fear with the news that is coming from the United Kingdom, but within the concern, which is evident, the world has not ended here », clarifies Bover, who was a sentimental partner of the anarchist Salvador Puig Antich, one of the last victims of the Franco regime.

The situation is reviewed every day, but the truth is that contagions have skyrocketed in recent weeks, and day in and day out, the United Kingdom announces more than 30,000 new positive cases in covid. The total of deaths related to the coronavirus already exceeds 70,000 and hospitals, with great difficulty, are able to respond to the great demand of those infected.

Margalida Bover, who is spending such special dates with her family in the Tottenham neighborhood, highlights eThe “respect” that is professed during these days among Londoners. «The truth is that we are locked in the capital, but this city alone is almost as big as the whole of Mallorca. Few people are seen on the street, because the only thing they allow you is to go shopping at the grocery stores or for a walkBut when you come across someone, people have a lot of respect for each other. They always keep a safe distance, they strictly respect that. The walks through the forests and parks is one of the activities that they do the most. It is there where a greater tranquility is breathed, people take the opportunity to remove their mask and breathe fresh air», Explains the felanitxera on the situation that is lived these days in the British capital.

In the main arteries of the capital there is a rarefied atmosphere. «I am overwhelmed by large crowds and these days it is very strange to see so few people in the main tourist spots. Obviously it is enjoyed in a different way, but the reason makes you sad “, recognize.

If something has surprised Bover, above all, it is the exemplary use that is being made of public transport at this time. “On buses and subways, the number of people entering them is highly controlled. There is always a safe distance. They have it very controlled and do not allow more people to get on than is currently stipulated. Without a doubt it is one of the images that most contrasts with what is experienced in Spain », complaint.

Without a return ticket to Mallorca, Bover assures that “as long as he can get to the island before March 8” he is not worried about how long he will have to be in London. “What I want is to have some time to organize activities for Women’s Day, but I hope that the situation will normalize and that in February they will allow me to return home. Meanwhile I will continue to enjoy my stay in London with my daughter and my granddaughters », he points out.

The Law of Memory

Despite the distance, Margalida is very aware of all the news that shakes Spain and celebrates, these days, the intention of the Government of annul the sentences of the last shot of the Franco regime, approved in the new draft of the Memory Law: «It is not a joy only for what it means for Salvador, it is a joy for what it means for everyone. That is the great gift and I will toast for it at this time. For all ».

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