“If this was just a flu, why would we ruin our lives like this?” Inside Italy’s Quarantine
Photo by Olivia
Right behind China, Italy is the second country to have suffered the largest impact due to COVID-19. The number of people infected with the virus has reached nearly 28,000 and over 2,000 people have died.
Having had spent so much time in a country I now feel is my second home, and having had met so many beautiful people whose lives have so drastically changed within this past week, I felt it my duty to recount, as accurately as I could, the personal stories of those affected by the COVID-19 quarantine.
Seeking Closure: An American in Italy During the Wake of COVID-19
This first account comes from my friend Laura, who was born and raised in Padua, Veneto, Italy— only a 30 minute train ride from Venice. I, too, spent a month in Padua this past January, and that’s how Laura and I first met. Under current circumstances, life looks a lot different that afternoon spritz and late-night vespa rides around the city.
This is her story.
Saturday, March 7th
Let’s start with last Saturday, the 7th. The hysteria started sometime late that night. An extremely important document had leaked from the government and was spreading like wildfire on the internet on places like Facebook and Instagram.
And that document’s contents? The official announcement that an entire region of Italy was going into quarantine.
“Some cities in Veneto were going to become, like, red zones and so everything was going to close down and that we wouldn’t be allowed to get out anymore. But there was just like, a leaked document. So it was nothing official yet. And so people started going crazy.”
Civilians responded to this news in two different ways:
1. Panicked, people started hoarding— rushing to grab food, supplies, etc. from nearby.
But that wasn’t the worst of it.
2. People began rushing to escape the Lombardy region before the official quarantine began.
“They all like went to train stations and stuff and trying to you know, leave from places like Milan. And that was really, really bad because, you know, of course, like, in a moment where you have to just stay home and not spread the virus around, stations were just crazy.”
Sunday, March 8th
This is when the Prime Minister of Italy declared the document official. He told everyone there were to be new restrictions and regulations to help control the spread of the virus and that Padua, as well as the whole region of Lombardy, was now in the red zone.
Lombardy is a region in Norther Italy. Milan, the global capital of fashion and design, is its capitol.
Even then, Laura admits, “I wasn't taking it seriously.”
Monday, March 9th
It wasn’t until the day after, on Monday, March 9th, when news about overflowing ICUs and medical supplies dwindling released to the public, that Laura began the understand the severity of the situation. Italy’s healthcare system was now on the brink of collapse.
“When they talk about this virus, all you can hear is ‘it’s not dangerous for young people, like it’s not deadly and stuff.’ But the real problem is that Hospitals don't have like, spots to cure everyone. And so that's the real big deal because on Monday morning, they announced that if the cases were not going to to slow down, they would have to start to choose who to cure, and who gets to leave.”
She remembers reading about doctors who were constantly challenged with ethical decisions. If a person were to come in with the virus and compare their situation with a 70-year-old lady, they were going to give priority to the young and able— the person who was more likely to survive.
It’s not like Italy’s public healthcare system was ever fragile to begin with. In fact, this year, it was ranked the second best healthcare system based on population. Every Italian citizen was used to the ease of walking in, getting treated, and walking out— without even having to pay. But Laura said that when this was no longer the norm, she was struck with the reality of what her and her entire country were facing.
Thursday, March 12th
Life under quarantine is regulated, restricted, and really not all that bad.
Laura and her family are only allowed to leave the house for three reasons: a health emergency, grocery shopping, or really important work-related business. Only one member of the family is allowed to leave at a time, and each of them must fill out a certificate before they leave the house that says something along the lines of, “I declare that I know that if I'm lying, I will go to jail.”
At the grocery store, as far as Laura can perceive, everyone must wait in a queue, one meter apart from each other, and they only let a small amount of people in at a time depending on how large the grocery store is.
How are they staying informed about the protocol? She says her and her family receive all instructions via either the official government website or channel one, the local news station.
Desperately seeking fresh air, Laura escaped for a short run around her neighborhood and the whole time, she didn’t see another soul. What she did see, however, were a lot of police cars.
“And there was a car, like a police car with some, you know, microphones on top. And they were just going around the neighbors, the neighborhoods and the streets just like telling people to stay in.”
Friday, March 13th
Laura’s mom owns a factory that produces machines for making pasta. On Friday, March 13th, she was forced to close the doors. Her dad is currently retired, but he still works from time to time. This past week, he went into his office only on Monday and Tuesday morning and worked the rest of the time in his study at the house. Laura’s older sister had planned on only staying the weekend, having arrived on Friday, March 6th from Milan— before the initial chaos first began. However, she decided to stay close to her family and continue to work from home, which she had already been doing for 3 weeks prior back in Milan due to coronavirus restrictions.
Laura says that this situation has taken an economic toll on her family. “My mom is really worried. We'll have a huge impact on the economy and for everyone, not only for, you know, just…everyone.”
Currently
The main focus now, of course, is stopping the spread. How are they doing this? It’s simple, really. They’re staying at home.
“There is like a hashtag going on and then like a lot of influencers and stuff are using it and it's like #IStayatHome, so that's really what's making the biggest impact— people just need to stay put, stay home. Because if we don't, it's gonna— it's going to go on for longer.”
Bunking up at home isn’t all bad. Besides perhaps the overextended family time, Laura says that Amazon has offered free membership— movies, tv shows, ebooks— for everyone. Museums around Italy are filming short specials for the citizens to enjoy. In addition, she still has the responsibility of online classes to keep her preoccupied.
When I approached Laura about her mental and emotional health during the quarantine, this is how she responded: “I am a very social person. Like I need to be around a lot of people. What's really difficult for me right now not being able to go out and like be with my friends. And that's, like, causing me a lot of you know, sadness.”
However, she finds herself extremely thankful that out of all the times something like this could have taken place, it’s in 2020— a time when we have technology, like FaceTime, to keep us all connected.
“If this was just a flu, why would we ruin our lives like this?”
The most important part of this article, and I think Laura would agree with this, is this next part—her warning and plea to Americans and the rest of the world.
“I have like a lot of American friends and friends all around the world from my previous, you know, travels and stuff, and I am seeing right now the same behavior that I personally had and everyone had here literally, like, three weeks ago.”
While Laura remains quarantined inside her house (now for over a week), her American friends are talking about spring break plans because their school has just been canceled. In response, Laura told her friend matter-of-fact, “They're closing school not because you can go around with your friends, they’re closing school because you have to stay home.”
The frustration stems from seeing so many people not taking this issue seriously.
“If this was just a flu, why would we ruin our lives like this? Quarantine is the only way to fix it. So I have to make that sacrifice.”
And Laura is the first to admit that when the outbreaks first started in China, she was still going out with her friends for a spritz. She felt like they didn’t have an example to base their looming situation off of because of how far away China seemed to be. But now, America and the rest of Europe have Italy. They have Italy as an example for how to better prepare and operate under this virus. The world needs to take advantage of that.
Throughout the entirety of Italy’s undertaking, China has been the country that has pulled through the most. Why? Because they know what Italy is dealing with on a personal level. On March 13th, China sent medical supplies and a team of experts to help Italy defeat the virus.
Laura’s biggest piece of advice to Americans?
“Just stay home, don't panic, and take this time to, you know, do what you cannot do during your normal life because you're too busy.”
And one of her biggest fears?
That when this whole virus is over, people will be apprehensive to visit Italy. If there’s one thing that I, Olivia, have learned from my own experience living in Italy, it’s that Italians are proud. They are so proud of their nationality and are some of the most patriotic people I have ever met.
I can’t imagine the pain that they are facing— with the death of so many civilians, an economy that relies solely on study abroad students and tourism, a healthcare crisis… all while being confined to their homes and praying that this all blows over soon.
If you want to read about some of the inspiring ways Italians are coping with the quarantine, check out this article by Florentine blogger, Girl in Florence.
I am so very grateful for Laura’s advocacy for both her own community and communities abroad during this crazy weird time. I hope this is only the beginning of the stories I will have the chance to tell concerning COVID-19. If you would like me to share your own personal narrative, please contact me at olivia.frances.biz@gmail.com .
“I just want to spread the word around because what I see on social media is not, like, it's not good and it's really painful.” I could now hear the desperation in Laura’s voice— “We're trying to, you know, just tell everyone to please listen to us.”
Laura giving me a midnight vespa tour around padua, italy.