In Spain, a village in "Southern Lapland" is fighting to survive

Special envoy to Villahoz

The sign affixed to the door of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción is in season in these times of pandemic. “Reception limited to 50% of capacity. 115 people maximum. " In Villahoz, 300 inhabitants are officially listed, but only a large half lives in the village all year round. It is hard to imagine the faithful being driven back to the doors of the beautiful 16th century church, witness to a time when the tiny town was still a big village.

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Social distance seems just as easy to respect in the only bar in the village, authorized to reopen on Monday, after the confinement restrictions. Between 2 and 3 p.m., the usual aperitif, lunch or coffee schedule, we could see a maximum concentration of five people. When the bar closes at 4 p.m., the village streets are empty. Only a shutter is agitated in the passage of the visitor.

Villahoz is however not planted in the middle of a desert. It only takes 2:20 to reach Madrid to the south by highway.

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