With his hands clasped and a serious expression, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez declared a state of alarm on March 14, 2020 “to combat the coronavirus.” Two months earlier, in January, the national and international media highlighted the first case of COVID-19 in the country, involving a German visitor in La Gomera.
Coincidentally, the second case occurred in the Canary Islands as well, specifically in Tenerife, where a guest of the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel tested positive for the “Chinese virus,” leading to the confinement of the hotel on the night of February 23 with 893 guests and fifteen staff members present at that time.
Sara Fariña Coello, a loyal listener of Atlántico Radio’s morning programme called “Good Morning Canary Islands” hosted by Gara García and Willy García, reminisced on Wednesday about those days spent in quarantine at the hotel in the southern municipality, where she stayed with her family. That Sunday night, she got up to use the bathroom and noticed a piece of cardboard being slid under the door which read: “It stated that we were not allowed to leave.” They then spent the following 24 hours within those four walls and were fortunately allowed to have breakfast on Tuesday.
“I remember a piece of cardboard being slid under the door, declaring that we were not permitted to exit the room; the hotel was in quarantine.”
A substantial police presence surrounded the hotel, and the area was swarmed with journalists and camera crews from around the globe. Behind closed doors, there was a continuous struggle, minute by minute, hour after hour, to escape from that dreadful situation, as recounted by one of the employees to DIARIO DE AVISOS.
Coello described the on-site field hospital resembling the one from the movie E.T.: “We underwent tests, and, truthfully, I will never find adequate words in my lifetime to express my gratitude to the hotel staff for their efforts to ensure our well-being.”

The Absent Testee
Amidst the challenges faced within the H10 premises, the guest recalled a humorous incident: “There was always someone missing when it was time for the test, and it turned out to be someone who preferred not to disclose their presence because they were not with the intended individual.”
The confinement of the hotel in Adeje lasted until March 10, when the final group of 274 guests still housed finally saw the doors open. Coello shared, “On the fourth day, Canarians among us were tested. Those of us with negative results were escorted out of the rooms at midnight by the manager, led to the elevator, and wandered until reaching the warehouse, akin to a garage, where a judge in protective gear handed us a court order to self-isolate at home.”
Two days later, on March 14, Pedro Sánchez declared a state of alarm in Spain. Coello expressed, “Oh my, what vivid memories. I have all the documentation as it was a truly unique experience.”
