Children enjoy their first walks on the street since the beginning of confinement

Strollers, bicycles, and scooters have returned to the streets of Catalonia this Sunday, changing the landscape of the city that has not seen boys and girls walk freely since the declaration of the state of alarm on March 14. 

Children under the age of 14 have been able to swap balconies, courtyards, and roofs for exercise and walks of no more than an hour and a maximum of one kilometer from their home. 

Early risers have been out in the open air since 9 am, many in the city of Barcelona doing so wearing masks and holding hands with their parents. 

In the Sagrada Família neighborhood of the Catalan capital, children have been able to run down Marina Street free of cars, but without entering the nearby parks, which remain closed to the public.

Girona and Lleida counties

The pathways and beaches of the Girona counties looked very different this Sunday too. 

Accompanied by adults, children under fourteen are out and about catching some air and playing, although the streets weren’t immediately busy from 9 am, the time people are permitted to begin their walks.

By nine, on the seaside road in Sant Feliu de Guíxols, on the Costa Brava, most of the pedestrians were people going to shops or taking their dogs out. 

Around ten o'clock, some minors were out walking. It was around noon when the influx of parents and children was more noticeable, but keeping a safe distance. 

The little ones are happy to be able to go out, while the parents criticized that only one family member can accompany them.

"The children were looking forward to going out," Laia Martorià told ACN, who took the opportunity to go for a walk with her son Miquel.

In Girona city center, some chose to walk through the old quarter, others took a scooter or bicycle along the banks of the river, and the busiest preferred to run. None of them, however, have been able to enter the parks, which remain closed. 

 

Similar scenes were found in Lleida. In towns such as Cervera and Balaguer, most families took it easy in the early morning, and came out to the streets at 10 or afterwards. 

Some children accompanied their father or mother to buy groceries, while others took the opportunity to walk and play with toys from home.

Children with skates, scooters, and bicycles were also seen enjoying the open air. In Castellserà on the other hand, no children were seen on the streets in the middle of the morning.