Village networks pull together to fight virus in rural Spain

In sparsely-populated rural Spain, where the residents are elderly and resources are few, neighbours are pulling together to help the old and the vulnerable weather the deadly epidemic that is ravaging the country.

Until now, interior regions like Aragon, or Castile and Leon have come off relatively lightly in a country that ranks fourth in the world for its number of COVID-19 infections, with cases soaring towards 20,000 and over 1,000 deaths.

But with the government imposing a nationwide lockdown to try and stem the spread, these provinces are facing a unique challenge: how to look after the frail and elderly living in far-flung communities in some of the least-populated areas of Europe.

Sergio Caminero, 30, is one of a handful of younger people who have offered to do the shopping for his elderly neighbours. He lives in Lovingos, a hamlet of just 50 people about 150 kilometres (90 miles) north of Madrid.

On Tuesday, he went to pick up some shopping for an elderly neighbour. "She's older and is quite frightened and tense," he told AFP.

In his area, they grow potatoes. One of his neighbours has goats' milk to share while Caminero keeps hens in his back yard.

"I give away the extra eggs. Now the hens are laying all the time and you can get up to two dozen eggs every day," says Caminero who is confident that if things do get worse, as the government has warned, "at least those of us living in villages will be able to feed ourselves".

In Teruel, a town in the mountainous Aragon region to the east of Madrid, the local neighbours' association and the town hall have come together with an initiative called "Isolated but not alone".

One of those they are helping is Maria Garcia, 56, who has a permanent disability following an accident at work.

She lives with her 88-year-old father, who is recovering from a strike, her 86-year-old mother, and her dog.

On Wednesday, a volunteer wearing a mask and gloves brought some food to the house.

"I'd only called to ask and within an hour this young man was here," says Garcia who says she will keep using the network "as long as we need it and while the situation stays like this".

The isolation could end up being overwhelming in areas like Tierras Altas de Soria, a mountainous area of Castile that has seen much of its population leave in waves since the 1950s.

"We cover 16 municipalities, it is an area with a huge decline in residents and a population density of less than two people per square kilometre," explains local official Raquel Soria.

"In a situation like this, the picture is even worse because the people living here are very elderly, are on their own and they are very isolated."
"But I'm not depressed!"