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An American reports on Life inside the Italian Quarantine

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Thought this was a great article to illustrate what life is like in Italy today. Its from an American mom, who lives in Italy with her husband and two kids.

If you have Facebook and want to see the original posting, or follow her on FB here is a link to her original post, which is being shared widely --> https://www.facebook.com/story.php?...59600188&ref=m_notif&notif_t=group_highlights

Here is a link to the article below that was written by NBC News:
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/heal..._XYFKwMeO0-zFgisaUsSSafRCCmTP4iCGKw6YCf72U5UY


American on coronavirus lockdown in Italy: 'It's surreal. It's dystopian.'

"The only way to stop this virus is to limit contagion," Cristina Higgins, who urged people to heed warnings about the virus in a widely shared Facebook post, told NBC News.

March 11, 2020, 2:32 PM CDT

For nearly two weeks, Cristina Higgins, an American who lives in Italy, has traveled no farther from her apartment building than the driveway. Her days begin at the breakfast table with her husband and three children before the kids log online to do their schoolwork from home. The family spends their evenings playing Monopoly in their apartment.

Throughout the day, Higgins looks at the news for updates on the growing number of coronavirus cases in the country and checks in on friends. Each night, overwhelmed with anxiety over the spread of the virus, she finds it hard to sleep.

"We have friends who are getting sick. It's very stressful," Higgins told NBC News over the phone from her home in Bergamo, where she, like everyone else, is under government-ordered home isolation, even though she and her family are not sick. "I am nauseous all day long, because every time I look at the news or talk to somebody else, something terrible has happened. And I don't know what's going to happen next."

With more than 12,000 confirmed cases and more than 800 deaths, Italy has become the European epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, with the number of sick overwhelming hospitals. On Tuesday, Higgins posted a description of life "at the heart of the coronavirus crisis" on Facebook — an attempt to get Americans and people in other countries to heed warnings and take precautions to avoid spreading the virus. The post had been shared more than 100,000 times as of Wednesday afternoon.

"Each of you, today, not the government, not the school district, not the mayor, each individual citizen has the chance, today to take actions that will deter the Italian situation from becoming your own country’s reality," she wrote. "The only way to limit contagion is for millions of people to change their behavior today."

Higgins said she rarely posts to Facebook but felt it was important to convey to those outside of Italy who can't comprehend how bad the situation is that they need to do whatever they can to not pass on the disease.

"The only way to stop this virus is to limit contagion."

"I'm trying to get through the disbelief phase faster," she said. "The only way to stop this virus is to limit contagion."


Italy has taken drastic measures in recent days to try to contain transmission, including putting all 60 million residents on a nationwide lockdown for at least a month.

The government has banned travel and closed schools and other large gathering places. At the few places that remain open — primarily grocery stores and pharmacies — people must stand at least 3 feet apart to minimize the chance of COVID-19, the illness the coronavirus causes.

Higgins has food and other supplies in her apartment, but her husband makes occasional outings to the supermarket to restock. The usually bustling market only allows a set number of people in at a time so they don't violate the 3-foot rule. When her husband went earlier this week, there were "individuals walking around with face masks looking at each other very suspicious, very scared," Higgins said.

"It's surreal. It's dystopian," she said.

In the United States as of Wednesday afternoon, more than 1,000 cases of the coronavirus had been diagnosed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended commonsense practices such as proper hand-washing to prevent it from spreading, plus other tactics, such as social distancing, which includes canceling events that will attract a large number of people.

In her Facebook post, Higgins underscored the importance of this based on her first-hand experience.

"You have a chance to make a difference and stop the spread in your country. Push for the entire office to work at home today, cancel birthday parties, and other gatherings, stay home as much as you can. If you have a fever, any fever, stay home. Push for school closures, now. Anything you can do to stop the spread, because it is spreading in your communities — there is a two week incubation period — and if you do these things now you can buy your medical system time," she wrote.

Higgins said she was impressed by how quickly the Italian government implemented restrictions once it was clear how rapidly cases were growing there. Her children's schools, and a university in Milan where she teaches a course on leadership across cultures, have been closed since Feb. 24 by government mandate, and no one knows for sure when they will reopen.

For Higgins' children, who are 12, 10 and 9, being at home in the apartment has not been bad. Their schools have been sending homework for them to do every day, Higgins said, and the kids are having fun studying with their friends via videoconference.

But for Higgins, the reasons behind the home isolation have been difficult to deal with. She ventures out of her apartment only to go to the garden adjacent to her building and to walk laps in the driveway; her kids and her brief walks have been a good distraction, she said.

"It's not a time to panic. It's time to be a responsible citizen."

The attention her Facebook post has gotten has surprised Higgins. She said she is glad it is raising awareness, but urged Americans not to panic.

"Try to put into place preventative measures now, because that will make a huge difference," she said.

"What the government says to us, which I think is fantastic, is it's not a time to panic. It's time to be a responsible citizen," she added. "If everybody does their part, it will be fine."​




Here is a story from the BBC that says pretty much all she wrote and more.

LINK --> https://www.bbc.com/news/world-euro...BGkcqCqcQw3O_kPg0ft2My95qPPEWqzAV4iSq8t261Dek

'People are paranoid' - Life on lockdown in Italy
By George Wright BBC News

There is anxiety and confusion on the ground as Italy implements its most restrictive measures since World War Two in its battle against the coronavirus.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has called the outbreak the country's "darkest hour" as measures, which include travel restrictions and a ban on public gatherings, are enacted across Italy.

A wide range of restrictions have been put in place.

  • Travel has been restricted but exemptions will be given to those with valid reasons
  • Bars and restaurants can remain open from 06:00 to 18:00, but must put a distance of at least one metre between customers
  • Shops also have to make sure customers remain at least a metre apart
  • Cinemas, theatres and museums have been ordered to close
  • All ski resorts will be closed until further notice
  • All sporting events - including football matches - are suspended nationwide
  • Schools and universities will remain closed until 3 April
  • All public gatherings will be forbidden, including weddings, funerals and baptisms
  • But people in Italy have told the BBC that there is widespread confusion on the ground regarding how the "lockdown" is being implemented.


"No one is really sure what's happening, we just know that you're not allowed to travel in and out of cities," said Emily Millington, a teacher in Bologna.

"But they've not actually made it clear if you can go out and about, if you'll get in trouble for that, or if you should just stay at home."

Ms Millington drove three hours from Bologna to her boyfriend's house in the northern town of Trento early on Tuesday, where they are self-isolating.

"You've got people who don't know if they've got it, like me. I don't really know what's happening," she said.

"I know they won't swab me because I've not got symptoms, but I've come into contact with people that have got it," she said.

"It's just a waiting game."

While she has been able to work from home, Ms Millington said the outbreak had led some of her private language school's competitors to shut down.

"Employers are trying to hold on until the last moment," she said.

Dan Davison, a teacher in Puglia in the south-east, said that there had been an announcement saying that people needed to justify why they were out of the house, but he hadn't seen it being enforced.

"I know it's unprecedented, but there's been no clear message whatsoever," he said, adding that Puglia was like a "ghost town".

"It seems, to a certain degree, that people are making it up as they go along. For example, you hear from other people that there is a new rule, but you look for it online you can't find it anywhere," he said.

"It's very unclear."

Mr Davison said the decision by airlines including Ryanair and British Airways to cancel all international flights to and from Italy had made him feel "stranded".

In Bologna, Ms Millington said the outbreak was affecting the atmosphere of some social circles.

One woman she knows had a fever but didn't ring the designated hotline, so her friend did.

"It's really strange here, people are kind of snitching on each other," she said.

"We were joking about it last night. You want to meet up with your friends but then you're like 'who have they come into contact with?'" she added.

"You're kind of paranoid."

Ms Millington said she knew that some people were not disclosing the fact they had a fever because they were worried about the social stigma.

Tansy Ball, who has lived on the island of Sicily since 1977, said there appeared to be a spike in cases after people started returning to their families in the south from heavily hit northern areas after universities were shut.

Close familial bonds between older and younger generations could actually make things worse, she said.

"Being a family-run country, you're still going to let your daughter, nephews, nieces and grandchildren into your house," she said.

"People have been discouraged from going to the nursing homes... but whether they will or not, I don't know."

Italy restrictions - schools and unis closed and exams cancelled; sporting events suspended; marriages, baptisms, funerals postponed; people can shop for food & travel to work; bars and restaurants open 06:00-18:00 but customers must be 1m apart; motorway and train station checks to restrict travel
But despite the panic, Ms Ball said she was taking the lockdown in her stride.

"I don't do anxiety, I let everyone else worry. I think if I get it I will be able to recover," she said.

"I've got plenty to do. Things to study, books to read, I've got a house I could paint if I wanted to. I'm allowed out to do the shopping and to go for a bike ride because I'm not meeting anybody if I do that," she added.

"I'll just take it as it comes."
 
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