COVID-19 in Madrid: vulnerability, precarity and essential work

Abstract

Spain was one of the first European countries to be hit by the Coronavirus. Until now, over 30,000 have died in the country. In the worst days, toll rates reached more than 800 deaths per day. Every morning, heartbreaking news would show the terrifying situation of the retirement homes, where thousands had died. Hospitals were overflowed, healthcare professionals were overwhelmed. In a warlike scene, Spain lived through a social trauma that it still struggles to heal. The National government responded to the pandemic crises with a double measure. On one hand, with the State of Emergency announcement and a 3-months nationwide shutdown. On the other hand, with economic measures to smooth as much as possible the social and economic impacts of the crises: ERTE furlough schemes and the approval of a minimum vital income. This article discusses the effects of those measures in the everyday life of workers in Madrid to highlight how Covid-19 impacted in different ways the working class across the city.