How Italy lives in quarantine.

This means that it is subjected to an infinite series of restrictions on individual freedoms. These restrictions worsened further on the following day, effectively leading our nation to a sort of pseudo-curfew. But ... how did the Italians react, people notoriously not very inclined to limitations "by law" of habits, customs and habits deeply rooted in their lifestyle? The beginning was very disappointing: assault on trains bound for southern Italy, with the hope of moving away from the "red areas" and therefore from contagion; a form of unconsciousness and total lack of civic sense that has caused, and even more will cause in the coming days, unimaginable damage to hospitals in central and southern Italy, not equipped like in the north.

Unfortunately, the same thing occurred with the unjustified rush to supermarkets and hypermarkets open at night: long queues of families regardless of the obligations deriving from the minimum safety distance imposed to avoid contagion, were formed at the entrances, with the aim of hoarding edible genres. The young people then often gave a very sad image of themselves: they did not give up the gatherings, they showed total carelessness and lack of interest in safety procedures aimed only at preserving them, but especially their older family members, from the risk of being hit from the virus.

Fortunately we are talking about a minimal percentage of the population; the vast majority of Italians have finally understood that the two-week sacrifice of isolation is nothing compared to the benefits that such isolation brings. Cities, but also villages, small seaside and mountain resorts, have practically paralyzed. The decree of the following day, 11 March, further tightened the links of security, imposing the total closure of bars, restaurants, pubs and the sale of non-essential items.

My thought is that, given the seriousness of the situation, something more rigid could have been done: in fact, the table of activities which is allowed to continue operating is too extensive; what sense does it make to keep shops of photographic equipment and glasses, shops selling computers, perfumeries, tobacconists, etc. open? It is clear that we did not want to exaggerate the limitations but the doubt that the measures adopted are not sufficient to create a real block on the spread of COVID-19 remains.

Leaving aside the economic repercussions that this pandemic will bring to our country and to the rest of the world, surely a first result has been achieved: to radically change the habits of the Italians. Rediscover the sense of home, not only as a temporary place to stay but as a means of family gathering, as a center of daily life. Family, children, small daily chores, cooking etc. If we want, a "return to the past" that for 15 days will force everyone to take back their lives a little and dedicate themselves to jobs long forgotten.

Will 15 days be enough? Statistics say that they will not be enough to eradicate the contagion but everyone hopes that such strong measures can slowly be loosened and then return unhurriedly to a normality desired by everyone. I saw children playing on the balcony of the house with the friends of the neighbors, on the adjacent terrace; I saw adults who deposited coffee on the neighbors' doormat, I saw many people playing and singing on the balconies intoning the National Anthem with other "segregated" people from the neighborhood; applauding for long minutes, in a sense of gratitude, the work of health workers, we exchange impressions and news with condominiums with whom she had never even spoken.

It is a continuous whirlwind of warnings to "stay at home", on TV, on the radio, on social media: everywhere. Perhaps, after underestimating the problem for many days, it was finally understood that this is not a joke, that it is not an invention of us journalists to "make us beautiful", that there are no plots from other nations or economic groups . It is simply, in its enormous gravity, a virus! A terrible virus that indiscriminately affects everyone, in every corner of the globe and that has the most obvious characteristic of having a very strong contagiousness.

Unfortunately, nobody is immune from it and, hoping that the studies of researchers working all over the world will soon lead to the production of treatments and above all a vaccine, the only way to prevent it from hitting more and more disastrously is to protect us by staying closed. in our homes as much as possible. I realize, as a journalist but also as a simple citizen, to spend the days waiting anxiously for 6.00 in the evening, when what is unfortunately becoming more and more a "war bulletin" will be released from the Civil Protection press room:

how many new infections today? How many deaths in our Peninsula? How many lucky people healed? Are there any news on the vaccine or on that drug originally created for other diseases but which has accidentally proved useful also in this particular case? When will we have reached the so-called "peak"? And above all: When will we be able to see for yourself that these rules so restrictive of our individual freedoms will have given the desired results? The hope is, of course, that everything will end soon. That the Italian population, or rather the world, understand and accept these basic rules imposed only with the aim of getting us out of this nightmare as soon as possible.

In the next few days I will do, for informational purposes only, a summary of what have been (and unfortunately still are) the uncivilized behavior of a fortunately small part of the population who, out of ignorance, selfishness, arrogance, does not want to bow to these few limitations and continues to act as if Coronavirus did not exist at all. For the moment I just join all those who understand what we are experiencing to say a warm and sincere THANK you to all those who, often dismissive of the danger for them and their families, work tirelessly to defend ourselves from this drama:

in particular doctors and nurses, Civil Protection, health workers, employees of structures that must remain open to provide essential services to our lives, police forces, Red Cross, military, firefighters and ... sorry if I forgot someone!