The two years of the pandemic are proving to be an "unprecedented shock" for the the inequality gap and the precariousness of Spanish society. This is denounced in the report Evolution of social cohesion and consequences of covid-19 in Spain, prepared by the Foessa Foundation and presented this Tuesday by Caritas. It stresses that since 2018 there are two million more poor people in the country, taking the total to 11 million, or a quarter of the census. The sudden break of the economy in March 2020 is only comparable to that of the years of the Civil War, and its social effects continue to be felt despite benefits such as furlough (ERTE) or the minimum living income.

As every Friday two friends queue up at the cafeteria after having gone for their hour's walk to keep their "legs and mind" in shape. The ritual is the same as always, but today they have their covid pass with them: this Friday it will be compulsory to show it to access bars, restaurants, gyms and care homes. Rosa Casas and Núria Garcia are 72 and 75, and they are totally independent, but, like a large number of elderly people – "you can call us old ladies", they say – the need to obtain this QR code to continue living a normal life has been an added concern for them. "My daughter did it for me when she came home, because even though I tried I couldn't get it," complains Garcia, who says she "gets angry" when she has to "bother the children" to get them to solve her problems. Casas was helped by her husband, who had taken an "internet course" for the elderly.