José Luis Martínez-Almeida, mayor of Madrid, looks up from the papers and asks: “How do you say? Greatest number? Biggest number? ” Matilde García Duarte, general coordinator of the City Council, meditates for a moment on the answer. She is the one who has written the notes for the speech with a blue pen, underlining the key words in a red marker, with her hands at all times in nitrile gloves on which every so often she is dosing hydroalcoholic gel. They call it “flu-flu” here, a greenish liquid in a small glass cleaner bottle. García Duarte does not want to run the risk of contaminating the pages that he writes for the mayor. He thinks it sounds better "biggest". The mayor tastes the phrase to see how it looks: “Here in Madrid we have the biggest number of people infected”. [Here in Madrid we have the highest number of infected people]. A post-it pasted on his desk, next to the laptop, recalls the volume of the tragedy at the moment. The piece of paper says, also in English: “Region of Madrid. 20,000 infected. 2,500 dead ”.
It's close to three in the afternoon on Friday, March 27 and the feeling inside the colossal Cibeles palace is dull and lonely. Empty hallways. Rooms without life. Sounds that bounce around the recesses of the monumental headquarters of the Madrid City Council, the zero zone of the coronavirus in Spain. It's been days since employees were sent home. A few beadles remain, a diminished security staff, a cleaner who pushes her cart loaded with cans of bleach and whose chirp climbs the sumptuous marble steps. While the mayor reviews the speech, the last of the secretaries appears at the door of Martínez-Almeida's office and confesses that she has been overcome because she has received nearly 14,000 emails in the official account of the City Council with a request from the platform change.org so that the flags fly at half-staff. Meanwhile, Gerardo, the on-call computer technician, types gloved hands into commands on the mayor's laptop and leaves everything ready for the video conference.
Martínez-Almeida takes a rugby ball from the ledge, fondles it to release tension. Then he sits at his table. He wears a green v-neck sweater, khaki chinos, Castilian shoes. He takes off his watch. He leaves it next to the laptop. A grid with dozens of faces unfolds before him on the screen. They are mayors of the main cities of the world gathered under the umbrella of the C40 group, a network of cities that was born to join forces in the battle against climate change. This time they are left to talk about another global, invisible, cross-border threat: the coronavirus pandemic. Before saying hello, Martínez-Almeida asks the general coordinator: "Put up a flag of Spain." And García Duarte, always with his gloves well sprinkled with "flu-flu", drags first the ensign from Spain and then the one from the city of Madrid, until he leaves them behind the mayor. Next, the alderman greets the screen: “Hello, this is José Luis Martínez-Almeida, from Madrid. Can you hear me? ”
Someone on the other side answers yes, and after him they greet from Rome and Ankara and from different parts of the globe until the mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, who chairs the virtual meeting, takes the floor. "Thank you, mayors brothers and sisters," he begins. “We have more than 100 people on this call, it is extraordinary. We rely on the strength of this network to face the greatest challenge of our lives, climate change. But this time it is about seeing how we can save our economies, and even more importantly, the lives of the people we represent. These are going to be the most difficult days as mayors. Many people will not only be affected by covid-19, but will die. And there are two things I want to say. One, that we know that this cannot last forever. And two, we are in this together. There are no borders when we talk about the virus, nor when we talk about sharing information. Information is knowledge. And knowledge is power; power to fight and save hundreds of thousands, millions of lives. "
Martínez-Almeida: "I think that if the city and the citizens go together, they fight together, we can defeat the virus"
It then gives way to Park Won-soon, the mayor of Seoul, the capital of South Korea, one of the countries whose sharp and effective response to the pandemic is admired worldwide. "Following the outbreak of the SARS virus in 2015, we have remained vigilant," says Park. It speaks of confinement, social distance, "cutting edge" technology. And of tests. Many tests. They have deployed 605 detection centers to perform rapid tests on citizens (“drive thru” type for cars, and also for pedestrians). Nearly 300,000 tests have been carried out in the country; produces its own PCR tests; now exports them to the rest of the world. "The city of Seoul has been able to keep its basic promises and culture," he says goodbye.
Next, it is the turn of the floor to Giuseppe Sala, mayor of Milan, "one of the hot spots in the world, in the north of Italy, where we get distressing images", introduces him the Alderman of Los Angeles. "Go ahead, Mayor Sala."
But the computer returns silence.
-Beppe?
Again silence.
-Beppe, we can't hear you.
Finally Beppe (diminutive of Giuseppe) solves the technical failures. And it starts by proposing an action in three stages: confinement, crisis management and recovery "because we think about the day it will come." "Confinement is an absolute necessity," he says. "It must be imposed; and to be honest, in Italy we have made some mistakes ”. He talks about the need to adapt public services such as transport and the extremely important management of contaminated waste. "Another suggestion," he says. “Create places for those in quarantine. They have to be separated from their families, especially when they live in homes without two bedrooms. ” On the future, he adds: "We can begin to project recovery by asking young people to be ready to return to work sooner." He concludes with a message about communication, in which he also believes that Italy has made mistakes. “In Milan the situation is not terrible, but it is difficult. We are not yet on the right track, the citizens have not left their homes for 20 days. They are tired, they have difficulties, they lose their jobs. If we don't change the message it can be disastrous. "
The Mayor of Delhi adds briefly: “We made the right decision on March 22: we decided on the confinement of the city. And fortunately two days later he declared himself across the country. ” That is: 1,300 million souls without leaving their homes. As they speak from Hong Kong and Jakarta, still little touched by the epidemic, Martínez-Almeida sighs: "They are not going to give credit when I say we have 2,500 dead." From the window of his office, which pours into the first meters of Calle Alcalá, a food delivery man and a ghost bus pass by. In the background you can hear the siren of an ambulance. A golfer's tee rests on the clip container on the desk.
Now, on the computer, it is the turn of Sadiq Khan, from London, who explains that in this crisis his city is about two weeks ahead of the rest of the United Kingdom: two thirds of those infected by coronavirus are concentrated in the city. country. He is concerned, he says, with the problems of the most vulnerable during confinement, those with precarious jobs and the self-employed: "If they stay home they will not bring money to the table." He adds: "We are asking retired police officers to return to duty to help in the global pandemic." And he concludes: “We are also planning our mortuary capacity, respecting the faith of Jews, Muslims, etc; but also making sure we have places to preserve the bodies. "
From Dubai no one responds so that he jumps at Martínez-Almeida. Summarizes the situation in Madrid with an adjective: "Horrific". He continues: "We have the highest number of infected people in Spain" (finally he opts for the "biggest number" formula). Then it gives the number of dead and infected written on the post-it. And he adds: “We do not have powers in health, which correspond to the national and regional government. But I feel that cities have a very important symbolic function. We are the government closest to the citizens; and we must send them a message of hope. " Explains some of the measures that have been taken: paralysis of mobility, closure of premises, suspension of payment in public housing, confinement and local police patrols to ensure it. "And the largest hospital in Madrid has been built in 72 hours at the Ifema fair, with more than 5,500 sanitary beds," he adds. “I think that if the city and the citizens go together, they fight together, we can defeat the virus. Thank you. And I hope to see you and hug you soon ”.
"We wish you the best in this difficult time," responds the mayor of Los Angeles. And Martínez-Almeida breathes relieved and confesses: "It is that by speaking so fast you are eating words." His tired face is seen. Throughout the day that allows us to pass by him, and which begins at 10:30 in a fire station in the south of the city, his gesture will gradually crack. In the fire station, where he goes dressed up after a brief mask and with gloves, the gym has been converted into a warehouse. Inside, a handful of firefighters, local police officers and Samur personnel, stack and review the goods: there are surgical masks, hydro-alcoholic gel, gloves ... It doesn't seem like much either. Much comes from donations. On the spine of the glove boxes (made in Malaysia) it reads: “Association supporting the Syrian people”. For this day, the city council awaits the arrival of two planes loaded with medical supplies purchased in international markets; One of them should have landed in time for the mayor's visit to the warehouse, but he hasn't. And throughout the day, between contradictory messages about his possible landing in Barajas, Martínez-Almeida's straw hair, longer than usual, will stir anarchically.
The mayor confesses, with humor, that the closing of the hairdressers has been "a bitch" for him. He is 44 years old and seeing himself in one of the videoconferences that now he has to do assiduously, a gray hair has been discovered. He says he tries to spend more working hours at home than at city hall. And, being single, confinement is forcing you to spend time alone. Receive about 1,000 daily WhatsApp messages. The day before, he says on his iPhone, he had 32 phone conversations. He is often called by his sisters, concerned about his health. She says that she has been recommended to do some exercise to sleep better at night. It was costing him, because of "the uncertainty", because he had "many things on his mind". And for the absence of movement. So he dusted off the rowing machine that he kept “dabbed”. He jokingly says that on more than one occasion he has felt the symptoms of the virus (probably like many these days) and the day before, during his visit with the King, the new field hospital of Ifema, as doctors explained the development of the disease almost made him want to stay hospitalized.
In his opinion, we are facing "the greatest challenge that we have faced in generations". Politically, his position of support (although not without criticism) has been praised for the measures adopted by the Pedro Sánchez government. Its institutional role, beyond ideologies. As he explains in an interview that he gives to a television while we follow in his footsteps during the day: "It is time to lean on the shoulder, collaborate [...] If we are all together, we all win." These days, Madrid is a city "expectant and sad", but also "hopeful". And he says that many of the decisions have been difficult, especially the first ones, because they were made without having "all the data on the table." Today, with the city becoming one of the epicenters of the pandemic, he adds: "What we have always boasted about in Madrid, which is life expectancy, is now our weak point."
In the office, the video conference with the mayors of the world continues and Anne Hidalgo, a colleague from Paris, captures his attention. "Here we are about to start our third week of confinement," says the French mayor, of Spanish origin. “Today I have been talking with the doctors and in the next few days we will reach the peak of the epidemic, so let me share with you his words: 'We must ask our governments to focus on producing the materials and medicines that our so badly need. health systems ”. After her, there isn't much time, and the mayor of Los Angeles closes the meeting with a harangue: “Leaders lead, and I am proud that all of you are leaders. Don't wait to ask permission. National and regional governments are under pressure. We have to lead ourselves. It doesn't matter what faith you have. I hope that you will be guided with wisdom and courage ”.
The videoconference concludes around four o'clock and the following quote from the mayor suggests a common expression in the battle for climate: "Think global, act local." At 17:30 he has a meeting with the coordinators of the emergency teams. "It is a summary of the state of the city," describes the mayor. It was scheduled to be in person at the Integrated Security and Emergency Center, one of those 24-hour surveillance rooms with huge screens. But the mayor changes plans at the last minute. One of the members has tested positive for covid-19 and they prefer “not to risk”: it will also be held by videoconference.
So Gerardo, the on-call computer scientist, comes into play again and after setting up the laptop, this time there is a little mess:
-You have to get to the mail the call for Zoom.
-CISEM meeting! -answers the mayor shouting, because he has put on the headphones- it must be this, but it comes to me on the mobile!
-Has it entered you through Microsoft Teams or Zoom?
"It's for Teams," exclaimed the secretary from the other end of the office.
-Yes, but he came in on the phone! reiterates the mayor.
Finally, when they manage to connect, they are interested in health:
-How are you?
-I'm fine for now.
-For now, no symptoms
In the mobile of Martínez-Almeida appear Inmaculada Sanz, delegate of Security and Emergencies; Enrique López Ventura, general director of emergencies; Pablo Enrique Rodríguez, general director of municipal Police; Rafael Ferrándiz, fire chief; Carmen Camacho, deputy director of SAMUR and Teodoro Pérez García, chief commissioner of the Municipal Police. The conversation continues with the issue of airplanes:
Mayor: Do we know anything about the goods?
Immaculate Sanz: The last thing I spoke an hour ago was that I was leaving today for sure. Well sure not. How safe this is. But they did not know the time. In principle, our merchandise will not be affected by the requisitions that London will do from now on, because they were there from before. But me until I see them here ...
Mayor: But do we know if it has come out or not? How are we going to know if it has come out if it does?
Inmaculad Sanz: The intermediary, who is constantly talking to them, tells us. They are having bureaucratic problems at the airport.
The City Council has purchased medical equipment for a value of 19 million euros. Not without difficulties, as the market for face masks, PPE or respirators has intensified. These products are becoming more expensive and scarce.
The situation, as it appears from the conversation and explained by members of the session later, is as follows. The city council has purchased on its own about one and a half million surgical masks (the finest) and FFP2 (those with the highest security) and also PPE (personal protective equipment) and other sanitary items. At the time of the conversation, a consignment of masks acquired in Dubai were at an airport in London, waiting to be loaded to leave for Barajas. The PPE, coming from Ukraine, had planned to arrive in Spain via Turkey. "Bureaucratic" problems prevent their displacement. Members of the city council, who have closed deals these days for the purchase of medical equipment worth 19 million euros (which includes the loading of planes and other items) describe a hostile world out there, populated by intermediaries and opportunists, avid to make money. According to the mayor, they were immediately offered PCRs, but as long as they bought a batch of one million at 17 euros each, an unbearable figure. A lot of people have written to those responsible for the consistory offering to import material quickly. The marketing is reminiscent of a large bazaar, where the promissory notes of public institutions are not valid, and those who arrive with dollars in cash take the merchandise first (the city council has had to resort to the municipal Funeral Home to carry out the operations). percentages, and before you know it, the remittance has already been taken by a higher bidder willing to assume an extra price.
Soon, the vice mayor, Begoña Villacís connects; her image vibrates and she is only seen from the nose down. Among the participants, some are at home; others in their command posts. The meeting is interrupted on one occasion by a girl who enters the scene crying, behind the security delegate. "This is what is called reconciliation," says Martínez-Almeida, who throughout the conversation takes off a shoe and makes him dance with the toe covered in a maroon sock. At another time, the mayor urgently asks for a charger: "This sucks what is not written." And the meeting progresses as the speakers explain the situation of their departments: they comment on the number of admissions at Ifema (390, and 60 pending entry; the Air Force completes the UCI in Hall 9), the collaboration that begins to roll better between the different municipal and regional emergency services, the police crews in the morgue set up in the Ice Palace, the number of niches (just over 200) in the new morgue that is valued opening in the city of Justice, actions for non-compliance with confinement (49,000 controls on vehicles and 39,000 on people; 7,441 complaints; several of them in an orgy) and the possibility of incineration outside Madrid (because the city is no longer able to supply).
A recurring concern hovers over the conversation: the health status of the staff and the protective measures, which do not end up arriving comfortably. They review a painting with the material they have and what they have distributed. At the moment, given the shortage, "it is time to understand that there are priority services and other important services, but not priority services," says the director general of Emergencies. The city council has also started testing covid-19 on the squad. The director general of police says: “We have carried out 120 tests; 21 have been positive ”. And it highlights a curious detail: 16 of the positives have been among asymptomatic people, who were not suspected. The mayor responds: "That is the key." The fire chief also talks about a staff under pressure, with 106 casualties due to possible coronavirus, and who has begun to collaborate with the Military Emergency Unit in the disinfection of nursing homes ("we must have already done about 10; the most The first one was strong, Monte Hermoso, an absolutely contaminated nucleus ”) and it is possible that they will begin to lend a hand in the transfer of corpses. "We are at a minimum, but we can go into a critical situation next week," he adds.
The man with the curve is still a few days away, perhaps he will reach the end of this week, assures Carmen Camacho, SAMUR deputy director.
Suddenly, the emergency general manager interrupts: “Hey, good news. Elena Collado [general coordinator of Budget and Human Resources] tells me that in half an hour the plane leaves London. "Damn!" Replies the mayor. "What does the plane bring?" “In principle, I had a million masks. And the second was 500,000. Between surgical and ffp2 ”. Mayor: "How good!" Director of Emergencies: “Of those that Samur and the hospitals need. So that, welcome. "
At around half past six, the Security delegate begins to close: "Carmen, any good health news?". The deputy director of Samur replies that "the famous peak" of the curve is still a few days away, perhaps it will reach the end of this week, "but nobody is sure yet." He concludes: "The good news is that we are in a number of discharges that exceeds the number of deceased widely." Another speaker, however, provides the black fact: "Today in Italy nearly 1,000 people have died." To which the mayor responds: "Damn ...". Because Italy is the mirror in which we all look at ourselves. And the Security delegate adds: "Well, we are left with the good news, which is the news and the material." "Let's keep that," concludes the mayor. "Well gentlemen, thank you all very much. Don't do crazy things this weekend that I know you. Until now".
And when he looks up from his mobile, exhausted and disheveled, he exhales a loud one: "Mother of God!" He leaves the Palacio de Cibeles at 6:52 p.m., en route to the solitude of confinement in an official car. He has arranged to have a (virtual) drink with councilors, not for work, but "to decompress". "We are going to discover that we are not social drinkers", he says goodbye. Five days later, at the close of this report, the planes with the material acquired in the great health bazaar had not yet landed in Madrid.
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