Through the eyes of an eyewitness: what is happening in Italy at the very center of the epidemic

– What is the situation with the coronavirus in Italy? Maybe our media is over-pumping?

– It’s not scary in Italy if you don’t get sick or if you have a strong immune system. Only those who have chronic diseases and old age, that is, those who are severely weakened, get to the hospital in intensive care under the ventilator. Throughout Italy, there are now 12 839 cases, of which 1016 are dead, and 1258 have already recovered. There are about 700 people in intensive care. The rest are treated at home and carry the disease like a common ARVI. Some patients did not even have a fever, they immediately went to have fun, ski, spread the infection. Precisely because of the lack of ventilators in intensive care units, doctors began to choose between patients whom to disconnect from the device. It was decided, of course, to save the younger ones. If a 90-year-old is connected and an 80-year-old is brought in, then the first is disconnected in favor of the second.

There are a lot of old people in Italy. And although even an 18-year-old guy from Milan got into intensive care, the virus still gives the main complications to the elderly. And, of course, it was for this reason that a great panic began, fear seized everyone. It was decided to close the country until the number of cases declines and everyone is cured.

– Is it true that everyone in Italy is at home? What will happen if you do not sit?

– At first, all the events were simply canceled, the schools were closed, the carnivals were interrupted, not allowing them to end. But the main work continued, people could move around – go to shopping centers and shops, or just to a neighboring village to visit their cousin for lunch. From March 8, it was decided to declare Lombardy and 13 other regions a red zone, and from March 10 – all of Italy. It’s like a curfew, only constant.

To get out of the house, you need to have a “proven need” for it. You can only go to the grocery store, pharmacy, or your GP. At the same time, it is emphasized that there is no ban on leaving the house, but there is a recommendation. Only for failure to comply with this recommendation can be punished with a fine of 206 euros or three months in prison. It is not recommended to walk with children, meet friends, visit, and in general it is not recommended to go out just like that. You can walk one by one near the house, walk the dog or ride a bike. Only one family member can go to the grocery store.

Everything is stopped, and if someone needs to go outside their area or their town for work, then you must first download the form from the Ministry of Internal Affairs website, fill in your details and the reason for leaving. If you are stopped, you need to be able to prove that your physical presence at the workplace is necessary. The first fines have already begun to be written out – a guy in Milan went to his girlfriend, he was fined. In a parked car, the police found a couple, both were fined for violating the quarantine regime. The streets of big cities are patrolled by helicopters, and police squads are in small ones.

– How about medicine? If you get sick, will the Italian doctors be cured?

– In hospitals now collapse, of course. If you feel the symptoms of a viral or infectious disease, similar to a cold, then you cannot go to the doctor or go to the ambulance yourself, but you need to call 112. They ask about the symptoms. And if they understand that this is most likely a virus, then teams are sent to take an analysis. The first patients were placed in hospitals and kept there for at least a day. If they felt normal, they were sent to be treated at home. Now they are looking – if a person does not suffocate and suffers an illness like an ordinary flu, then he is simply left at home. If everything is difficult, then they put it in the hospital, and it is free for the patient. As is the analysis itself. Unlike other countries, where the analysis price can go up to $ 3000.

– How do local residents view the situation?

– Suspicious – afraid and shaking. Our neighbors have not left their homes for three weeks already, they locked themselves, they don’t even open the shutters. Only a neighbor takes out the garbage in dashes once a week, with a mask and diving goggles on his face. Others take advantage of the forced stop to finally do household chores that have been postponed for a long time. My husband, for example, nailed a shelf in the kitchen (I asked for three months), put things in order in the garage, cut the lawn, painted the fence. Best of all, of course, are those who have been transferred to a home office. Our acquaintance turns on music, sings and in the office chat he is still rubbing gossip, as usual. They do not lose their salaries, as private traders. In general, the economic issue is now even more acute. Uncertainty in the future, how to get out of the crisis that is about to come with this forced stop of everything and everyone, on what to live?

– How do Italians experience sitting at home?

– Of course, it’s hard for sociable Italians to be locked up. Almost the entire country was put under house arrest. And they went to social networks. They record funny video messages to other citizens on YouTube, while away the time with jokes on Facebook, phones melt from conversations. They are discussing conspiracy theories, they say, about 30 thousand American soldiers have landed on the Italian coast, without masks, have found time for exercises, I suppose they want to capture Russia. But they get bored with discussing this for a long time, so they quickly switch to opera singing in their own performance while the pizza is being cooked. And they are waiting for April 3 as the officially appointed date of release! They are preparing to sincerely rejoice in all those simple things that they did not value before.

Three days after the publication of this article, things got even worse in Italy. Read the continuation of the story here.

And here’s what happens three weeks later.