Chronicles from a Shutdown. Life in the Covid 19 Time in Italy

By Massimo Terracina (Special for Caribbean News Digital)

Italy is, currently, a country frozen. Coronavirus struck us strong and, maybe, that early situation, compared to the rest of the world, will be a factor that spares us from more lethal consequences. I am writing those stripes from my desk at home, where I am confined since last Monday and so will be until April 3, but probably that day won’t be the end of all of it, but just an intermediate step to extend the quarantine.

Outside home it is like a “post war scenario”. Hospitals are full, collapsing under the constant rise of people affected that need to be in intensive therapy, sanitary masks and gloves are no longer at disposal, people went crazy. Someone is following the sanitary instructions, other are just ignoring it, but they do not understand that it is pandemic, not just a flu as stated previously. And just one infected individual can revamp all of it.

They say patient “zero” was German, but Italy has been the first country, along with the mother ship, China, to be infected in a massive way. But who cares? Goal now is to recover. As soon as possible!

Let me say it is a nightmare that will be spread out all over the planet, crossing the ocean and reaching the most remote places on Earth.

We are in danger, but more than this, the system is in jeopardy. Italian economy is bent down. Tourism, especially, as all over the world, is suffering a tremendous hit that has no comparison in the past. Neither 9/11, nor Gulf War, nor Lehman bros. crisis, affected tourism that bad. Airlines grounded aircraft, borders were closed, hospitals reached the maximum capacity. We are facing an epic crisis to acknowledge the say that “leap year is very bad year”.

But we are positive, we know that after all the crisis something new will rise. There were 12,000 travel agencies in Italy, recently dropped down to 8,000, due to market assessments, but more will fold. And also the situation among tour operator is not that different. Many will not bare the hit and will close the blinders.

Hotels, restaurants, bar, travel guides, bed and breakfast, airlines (recently Air Italy closed the operations folding) will not work for a long time, and the concern is absolutely legitimate. There will not be any governmental aid that can avoid a new tough era in Italian (mainly incoming, but also outgoing) tourism.

In those terrible days there are spontaneous efforts to sustain the morale: flash mobs, reciprocal help, social media “2events” tweet to encourage, but the truth is that we must go on, some way or another.

Now it is the turn of the rest of Europe to face what we experienced first. Unfortunately we ALL are on the same ship. The only thing we can do now is stay isolated, avoid contacts to prevent the spread of the virus that, in my humble opinion, was absolutely underestimated, and it will be painful in the future. But the hope still stands.

God bless us all.