一斉休校で孫の世話、祖父母に新型コロナ感染リスク　スペイン

【ＡＦＰ＝時事】スペインの首都マドリードでは、新型コロナウイルスの流行を受けて休校措置が取られたため、ラモン・ミリャンさん（74）は、自らが感染する危険を冒しながら、孫を世話するために毎日地下鉄でマドリードを横断している。（写真は資料写真）
　スペインの感染者がわずか４８時間で３倍に増えたことを受けて、首都があるマドリード州は１１日から約２週間、保育園から大学まで一斉休校とする措置を取った。１５０万人の児童や生徒、学生が影響を受けるとされる。
　マドリード州ではこれまでに１０００人超が感染し、３１人が死亡している。その大半は高齢者だ。
　時として労働時間が長くなり、国が支援する学童保育もないスペインは、家族の絆が強く、祖父母が孫の世話に深く関わることが多い。このため一斉休校によって、新たな憂慮すべき問題が生じている。
　ミリャンさんは、マドリードのレティーロ公園で孫のイサン君（４）と遊びながら、「いつまでも、できる限り（娘を）助けていきたい」とＡＦＰに語った。
　さらに、「妻は、私が孫を外に連れ出したと怒っている。孫と一緒に家に閉じこもっていろと言うんだ」「新型ウイルスは怖くないけど、妻は怖い」と述べた。
　中国で流行が始まった新型コロナウイルス感染症（ＣＯＶＩＤ‐１９）は、高齢者が最も影響を受けやすいとされる。
　マドリードの保健当局は先週、集団感染が発生したことを受けて、通所リハビリテーション（デイケア）施設を閉鎖した。保健当局トップは、高齢者が子どもと一緒にいるのは賢明ではないとの考えをにじませ、１１日には、子どもはほとんど症状がなくても新型ウイルスを「社会にまき散らしている」と発言した。
　スペインで圧倒的な人気のメッセージアプリ「ワッツアップ」には、「マドリードの数百万人の祖父母が電話がつながらないようにした」 「コロナウイルスより一斉休校の発表の方が多くの祖父母を殺した」などといったブラックジョークがあふれた。
　ホセ・ルイス・ルーカスさん（７０）は、これから２週間マドリード郊外の別荘で孫娘らの面倒を見るという。「心配だけど、子どもには感染しにくいと言われている。でも自分の孫だから世話をしないわけにはいかないだろ？」と述べた。
　２０１８年の調査によると、スペインで学校への送り迎えや食事の世話といった孫の世話を毎日している祖父母は約２５％、週に数日しているのは約４０％だった。こういった祖父母たちが一斉休校で最前線に押しやられている。
　公園のベンチで孫のホルヘ君に本を読み聞かせていたエミリオ・サルバドールさん（６７）は、「家族は子ども、とりわけ孫の世話をしなければならないのに」と嘆いた。
　今後２週間ホルヘ君の世話をするサルバドールさんは、「（在宅勤務が）できる人はごくわずかだ。（一斉休校で）状況に対応しようとしているが、問題を市民に押しつけたにすぎない」と語った。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2020/03/13-12:58）

With Madrid schools shut over coronavirus fears, 74-year-old Ramon Millan will cross the city by metro every day to mind his grandson, despite heightened risks to the elderly posed by the deadly epidemic.
The suspension of classes came after Spain was caught off guard by a tripling of cases in just 48 hours, with everything from nursery schools to universities closed Wednesday in a move reportedly affecting 1.5 million youngsters.
Madrid has borne the brunt of the outbreak with more than 1,000 infections and 31 deaths, the vast majority among the elderly.
But the closure poses a worrying new complication in Spain, where family solidarity is strong and grandparents are often very involved in looking after their grandchildren in a culture where working hours can be long and state-sponsored childcare is non-existent.
I will always help out (my daughter) as much as I can, says Millan, who is playing with his four-year-old grandson Isan at the city's Retiro park.
My wife is cross that I've taken him out. She wanted me to stay shut up at home with him, he told AFP.
I'm not afraid of the virus, but she is.
Since the COVID-19 epidemic began in China, it has been the elderly who are most vulnerable to the effects of the virus.
Last week, Madrid health officials closed elderly day-care centres after a cluster of infections, with a top health official suggesting it was unwise for children to stay with their grandparents.
And on Wednesday, he said that although children barely showed symptoms of the virus, they were spreading it within society.
- 'They're my grandchildren' -
It worries me but they say children have less chance of getting it. But these are my grandchildren, I have to look after them, don't I, said Jose Luis Lucas, 70, who was taking his granddaughters to a holiday home just outside Madrid for the next two weeks.
We will just have to avoid too many hugs and kisses.
According to a 2018 study, one in four Spanish grandparents take care of their grandchildren every day of the week, while 40 percent are involved several days a week, doing the school run and feeding them.
The school closure puts these grandparents on the frontline.
Families have to take care of the children, and above all that's the grandparents, sighs Emilio Salvador, 67, who is reading a story to his grandson Jorge on a park bench.
There are very few people who can (work from home), says Salvador who will be looking after Jorge for the next two weeks.
(By closing schools) they are trying to deal with the situation, but it just passes the problem on to the people.
- 'Just one more burden' -
Shutting the schools has unleashed a wave of black humour on social media.
Millions of grandparents across Madrid have just disconnected their phones, read one message doing the rounds on Whatsapp, which is extremely popular in Spain.
The school closure announcement has killed more grandparents than coronavirus, read another.
For Paloma Alonso, 72, having to look after her five- and seven-year-old grandchildren for the next fortnight is no walk in the park.
It's just one more burden adding to what I already deal with every day, she sighs.
I am a grandmother who adores her grandchildren but I don't like looking after them every day. But I will always help my daughter.
Many others are doing the same, with 78-year-old Javier Costero taking in his four grandchildren, aged seven to 10, for almost the entire fortnight -- although he was well prepared for it.
We knew it was coming after seeing what has happened in Italy, he told AFP.
But they aren't doing things right here. They should have done this before now.