Milan is silent during COVID-19
Living in a big city in the times of coronavirus means rediscovering silence. Milan, the city that never stops, the city that never sleeps, the city where you always run, is now still, it rests and it isn't running.
You look out the window and what strikes you is silence!
There is no traffic, even during peak hours, there are no people around and those few who move out of necessity, do it with gloves and a mask and keep their distance.
Yes, because they tell you that masks must only be used by the sick, but if we all used them, there would be fewer sick people, right?
We have been locked in the house for 10 days, we only go out to throw the garbage and when we return to the house we immediately remove the shoes, put them on the balcony and disinfect our hands.
We have rediscovered the beauty of making bread at home ... do you know what a good smell freshly baked bread has?
The supermarkets are all open, nothing is missing on the shelves, they let you enter three or four at a time, with gloves and a mask. They only ask you to make the shopping list and not to stay inside too much, because the line outside is long (those in line stay at least one meter away from each other).
We are having a bad time, but we are not panicking!
We follow the guidelines: we don't leave home, we use services to have the shopping brought home, we often wash our hands and what enters the house is disinfected. If we go out, even just to go to the cellar, gloves and mask and once in the house, we immediately take off our shoes!
This virus affects everyone, so if you are young do not be brave, mask and gloves and disinfectant at hand! Because many are asymptomatic and do not know that they can transmit the disease to those they meet ... therefore, even if they tell you that the mask is not essential, YES, always wear it ... ALWAYS !!
Protect those around you, especially the elderly and immuno-suppressed individuals.
We Italians in this period lack hugs; those hugs that friends give each other as soon as they are seen, those kisses that you also give to those you know for the first time. Oh yes, to we Italians that really is missing! We are missing not being able to embrace our loved ones, even if they live only a few kilometers away.
Stay as long as you can at home. There are so many things to do so you won't get bored. We live in a super-technological era. Video-chat at all hours with friends are a fantastic thing to feel close right now! Always be presentable, there will always be a friend who will call you to know how you are.
And then here in Italy we are expansive. Since we are all closed in ours houses, we can still meet, organized by social media, on the balconies every day at a certain time. We sing together, we say goodbye from balcony to another, we scream that soon everything will end!
Perfect strangers, united by a long-distance hug ... it's beautiful!
Stay at home as much as possible. Here in Italy doctors repeat it 1,000 times a day. If you stay at home, it slows down the rate of infection. Doctors can't stay at home ... they are helping... let's do it for them!
So, in summary: Stay at home, if you have to go out for shopping, do it with gloves, a mask and then once at home, disinfect your hands, shoes and what has been in contact with the outside world. Do not go out unless it is urgent!
But above all, do not panic, enjoy the silence and tranquility of your home, go out into the garden to do gardening or simply enjoy the silence.
Here, in Italy, the children color the sheets with a rainbow and the writing: "everything will be fine" and then hang them on the balconies. Let your kids do it too! Color this difficult period ... IT WILL BE OK!
-Laura T., Milan, Italy
