MADRID – The morning rush-hour scene at Madrid’s Atocha train station this week perfectly captured the dilemma facing Europe as it confronts the coronavirus.
Governments have locked down commerce, beefed up health care measures and earmarked billions of euros into Europe's famed safety nets to cushion the economic blow to businesses and blue-collar workers alike from measures meant to contain the virus.
But trimmed commuter train schedules at Atocha, the main gateway into the Spanish capital for the working classes, meant that huge crowds formed on the platforms, defeating the government’s appeal for “social distancing." Layoffs looming and real meant that those who still had work reported for duty - with or without protective masks - even