My brother lives in Spain, with his wife/my SIL (who is a GP) and their 4 young kids, in a 3 bedroom apartment. They have been on lockdown for nearly 4 weeks, not even been allowed out for walks. Police patrol the streets and army vehicles rumble by. He sent me this grim update:

"Woken up at 4.30am by [SIL] concerned about noise upstairs. [SIL] goes to investigate, calls an ambulance, starts CPR, and tells me to come up. An elderly couple live in the apartment above us and he had a heart attack. We move him to the floor...

...I have a crash course in CPR, it’s more brutal than I expected but reassuring to have Dr [SIL] tell me that I don’t need to worry about breaking ribs. Emergency services arrive in protective gear...

...[SIL] helps the lady call some family, about the fourth person picks up. He is pronounced dead. La viuda (the widow) is not coping. Paramedic writes a report and...

...explains that with hospitals and morgues already full the body stays. With the state of emergency gatherings are banned so probably quick and small burial. Family arrives even though it’s not supposed to be allowed and we head back downstairs."

This isn't an uplifting story, sorry. Just grim reality. I see ppl here in NZ blithely arguing for a lift on the lockdown as though ppls lives are less important than being able to reopen their businesses & charge rent & make money and I just. Idk. I don't want more ppl to die.

I don't think ppl realise how deadly COVID19 is?? That it attacks the lungs and makes it hard to breathe and that puts pressure on your heart and that in NZ we have many many ppl who are vulnerable and who would be at enormous risk of dying if they caught it.

We already have packed hospitals over winter. Paeds wards full up w infants &children struggling to breathe. Asthma, bronchiolitis, respiratory infectn. Throw in COVID19 & you have a loaded death bomb ready to explode. I am horrified that there are NZers suggesting this is ok.