A METRO station in Madrid may change its name to encourage residents and visitors to wash their hands, if a petition on Change.org launched by KFC restaurants bears fruit.
The tube stop in the suburb of Lavapiés, and which has the same name, effectively translates as 'foot-washer' – in fact, the foot showers on beaches in Spain are known as lavapiés.
But in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, a campaign has been launched to change it – temporarily – to lavamanos, or 'hand-washer'.
Pies are feet and manos are hands in Spanish, and the verb lavar means 'to wash'.
Even the PR boss for the underground transport company, María Jesús Álvarez – 'Chusa' to her friends and family – who has been the 'voice' of Metro de Madrid for over 40 years, has signed the petition.
The petition has gathered support rapidly in a city that has been the worst-affected in Spain by the pandemic – whilst many coastal belts and inland rural areas have only suffered a handful of cases, Madrid's health service and mortuaries were at near-breaking point for several months.
Whilst awaiting Metro de Madrid's official response to the petition, Senior Communication and Marketing Manager for KFC in Spain, Pablo Calavia, says the aim of the temporary name-change is to 'raise awareness' among the public 'in an entertaining way', since this approach tends to 'create more impact', that the fight against Covid-19 is not over yet and washing hands can literally save lives.
