Every morning, once out of bed, the first thing I do is open the shutters, pull back the curtains, and check out the sky’s mood. What I see outside the window will, in some way, influence my day.
For 37 days we’ve been living the lockdown. Every evening at six we have a briefing from the Civil Protection so we can have an idea as to how things are going. Yesterday’s good news: the number of people in intensive care continues to decrease and the number of “cured” continues to increase. But “cured” has its ambiguities as we’ve seen in China where “cured” can be followed by “relapse”.
Here in Italy massive testing for COVID continues although it slowed down a bit over the Easter week-end. People continue to be infected but, percentage wise, 20% less than a month ago. Luckily, the number in intensive care has drastically gone down and 65% of those recovered there survive. As before, the sooner you are diagnosed with COVID, the more possibility you have of surviving.
Unfortunately, people are becoming restless. When the weather is lovely (as it has been lately) people get itchy and want to go outdoors and mingle. But going out only increases the possibility of contagion.
Massimo Galli, director of the infectious diseases department at Milano’s Sacco Hospital, was asked the other day if he couldn’t be more precise as to when the lockdown would end and everything would be opened again. He replied: “Reopen everything? Get the virus to give us a date, and then we can talk about it.” It’s obvious that most people still don’t understand that COVID offers more questions than answers. There are so many variables to deal with that scientists cannot honestly give specifics at this time. Maybe those eager for a quick superficial answer would be better off consulting a fortune teller.
One of the many things that has emerged from lockdown is that so many people have difficulties being alone with themselves and are mentally rigid. They have no flow. They continue to believe that it is their right to impose themselves on the world without understanding that it’s because we’ve imposed so much that we’re in this situation.
And the problem is not limited to Italy.
The state of New York is c. one third the size of Italy. Nevertheless, it has 202,208 COVID 19 cases compared to Italy’s 162, 488 (data from Worldometers). Why? It had so much more time to prepare itself.
In Italy (but in Europe in general), the people are overwhelmed by what they see happening in the U.S.—the homeless sleeping in parking lots, the dead buried in mass graves, and the long lines of people in line for the food bank—how can this be happening in the world’s richest country? It would seem that America is the world’s fastest growing slum.
-30-
The Narrative Within 
Excellent. I have shared this on Facebook, and will reblog. It is well worth reading, and absorbing.
Thank you.
Reblogged this on Hello World and commented:
I think I am preaching to the converted, but perhaps you will consider of Reblogging these considered words.
Stay well, friends.
Mille grazie Yvonne! Once the ordeal of survival can be properly affronted, we need to collectively establish new priorities…a major challenge. But, hopefully, this virus has made us wiser.
Our Prime Minister’s deputy (UK) said a very similar thing today.
Really? Amazing…thanks for telling me!
One note. New York is not America. Where I live we have not had a single confirmed case. We are trying to muddle through as best we can and maintain social distancing etc, but it is nothing like New York. News media will always harp on the worst possible scenario, but this is an enormous country and most of us are doing just fine aside from economic issues. Ironically a lot of hospitals are really struggling because they have cancelled everything not related to to COVID, so they have nothing to do.
Of course New York is not America. However, it is undoubtedly an important part of the United States’ economy (with an output almost as big as that of Canada’s) and what happens in NY will directly or indirectly influence the rest of the country.
The total of those dead in the U.S. outside of NY is higher than the total of death in NY itself. You didn’t mention where you live where, for the moment, there are no confirmed COVID-19 cases. I am happy for you. However, the virus has not finished its USA tour.
You write that most of you are doing just fine. Who are these “most”? My post was not limited to NY. The homeless sleeping in a parking lot were in Las Vegas and the food lines were in San Antonio. And in Detroit, there are so many dead that the hospitals are storing the deceased in closets and trucks.
27 million Americans are uninsured. And the more jobs that are lost, the more this number will go up. That someone cannot be cured, especially during a pandemic, because they don’t have insurance for me is a problem—on both a practical and moral level.
Refusing to accept our interconnectedness will take us nowhere but down. We are all in this together whether or not we like it. How refreshing it would be to see the “united” in the “United States.”
Well you clearly have some strong opinions about this, which I totally understand given what you’ve seen and been through. You ask me where I live, but given the thrust of the rest of your response I don’t think that information is important to you. You have some good points. I was trying to say, probably in a rather inarticulate manner, that there’s more going on in America than meets the eye, or gets reported on in the news media. Given that I live here I do have a perspective on that, but it seems like your mind is made up and you have no interest in hearing my perspective.
I have very strong and carefully researched opinions indeed about anything that affects my life and the life of those I love. Therefore, I do not hide my disapproval and irritation with those who are not taking this pandemic seriously thus putting at risk the lives of others.
To say I have no interest in your perspective is, may I say, a bit presumptuous considering that I took time out to carefully read, visit your website, then reply to a comment you made, of your own initiative, on my blog. I have no problems with hearing out others as long as their commentary is presented in an intelligent and respectful way.
I send you my well wishes for the continued good health of you and your loved ones.
Saying that America is a slim does not indicate careful research.
When we remove the nationalities and the assorted conceits, the human at the base is the same reckless animal. Most nations are having their lots of Covidiots that are unique in their own way, and lethal nonetheless, not to speak of the authors of the cataclysm, the unabashed Middle Kingdom. I wish the best for your country, and of course, for our species.
Yes, we are all in this together and should act accordingly. There is an interdependency that, because of the “assorted conceits” you mentioned, refuses to be acknowledged making the current situation even more difficult to affront.
I am glad there are signs of improvement for you in Italy, stay safe, stay strong, stay home!
As a Canadian living right next to the US, what is happening just over the border is frightening. The disparity between the haves and have-nots is so large and getting worse all the time, I am afraid if they don’t correct some of the inequity the easy way it will happen the hard way.
And selfishly, when you are next to an elephant it is hard not to get squished when they roll over.
❤
Renata
Thanks Renata for your comfort and awareness. Glad you are on the other side of the border…much safer. Besitos