Life on Lockdown: the Coronavirus Diaries
Episode I: so far, so good.
It’s only day four, and cabin fever’s really starting to hit. I hadn’t left the house in several days, which is not uncommon for a freelancer, but it turns out there’s a massive difference between staying indoors because you want to, and staying indoors because you’re told to. I put on jeans and shoes and went to the supermarket down the road, and this is the situation I found: a long, silent line of people waiting to be let inside.
I have no idea whether I will continue this series or not. I don’t know what’s going to happen in about ten days, when the incubation period expires and one of us might get sick, or both. We’re not aware of people in our circle of friends being exposed to the virus, but up until March 4th I was still having a social life. I attended a friend’s birthday party, just a small gathering with a few glasses of wine. I appeared on a daytime TV show to discuss Weinstein’s conviction, the hair and make-up people jittery with nerves. Someone in the building had already tested positive, and I’m allergic to pollen, so I had a runny nose. Anyone could be the carrier.
I was fine. Nonchalant. I didn’t think it would be such a big deal. Until it was.
It’s been a few days since the whole of Italy was put on lockdown in an attempt to contain the Covid-19 outbreak. If anything, it should’ve been done sooner. The economy is going to take a massive hit, but not as massive as it would be if we all got sick at the same time and the health care system were unable to provide assistance to everyone. They’re already swamped as it is. So we stay indoors, avoid human contact, and wait it out.
I’m writing this in an attempt to make people outside Italy understand that this is serious. It may not always be lethal, but it will be a lot deadlier if the infection is not contained. Countries with a less robust health care system or with no universal health care (here’s looking at you, USA) should take heed. Demand action. Do it now.
Ok, serious talk aside: staying in is manageable, if you don’t have small children who get bored or pets that need to be walked regularly. The government’s guidelines say “Stay indoors unless you have to leave the house out of necessity, i.e. to shop for food, for health reasons or to walk the dog”, so dog people have an iron-clad excuse to put on some clothes and leave the house. Some context here: I live with my long, long-term boyfriend (very long-term) in a small flat in a quiet area of Eastern Rome. (Here are a few pictures of local works of street art I took a few years ago, just to get a feel of the place.) My family lives in the north of the country, his family a little further south. We both work from home, mostly, so the lockdown isn’t affecting us as much as other people who find that their lives have been upended by remote working and having to stay cooped up and get shit done while also having to care for small children, who tend to be a bit of a hindrance when you’re trying to get work done. Yesterday I had a Google Hangouts meeting with my coworkers at the booking agency I work for, and midway through the meeting the office manager’s little son barged in and hilariously demanded to participate in the conversation. My sister reports that her middle son, who is three, is already bored out of his skull.
Bored or not, we have to stay in as much as possible. Instagram is crowded with live streams from people’s homes. We’re hungry for human contact, eager to entertain. Some people are reading books live online, others are jamming, and while I doubt that this will have any long-lasting effects in terms of promoting literacy (as some seem to believe), it helps alleviate stress and keeps everyone busy. We’re allowed to leave the house on necessity, but we have to carry a printed document stating why we’re out and where we’re going. Bars and restaurants stayed open until yesterday, when the government decided to tighten the grip and shut down most non-essential services, although home delivery is still available in most areas. When I ventured outside earlier today to do some errands, nobody stopped me. The streets were mostly empty; people try to keep their distance when crossing one another, with a few notable exceptions. People are not supposed to stand closer than four feet (1 metre) to one another. I’m still thinking whether or not I should’ve broken up the few throngs I came across during my brief walk.
Everybody’s cooking all the time, so everybody’s getting fat! A couple of days ago I tried to make starter dough, and it worked, so I’m trying to make focaccia to have with mozzarella and prosciutto, and maybe banana bread.
Talk soon?
