Corona in Cortona… Isolation in Italy…..Covid Chronicles
Tuesday 10th — March Day 0 …. in lockdown!
No that’s not me, it’s one of my dogs, Doris, who is apparently somewhat concerned by this whole Corona thingy, I only have the mask because I seem to have an allergy to the pellets for my stove burner, and Simona in my local shop gave it to me a few days ago.
Day 0 - In Lockdown?
In theory this was actually the first day of lockdown… but I am going to think of it as Day 0, as we didn’t actually know until around lunchtime. My friend Graham was working in my garden, when a mate of his phoned up to tell him. Apparently the rule was that no one should leave their commune.. well he was already out of his, so what to do?
First Thoughts
The previous morning, as we do every Monday, we were helping out at our local stray dogs kennels. Of course, we were already well aware of what was going on up north, but here in rural Tuscany there didn’t seem to be too much of a threat. Places like Florence and Pisa were already starting to see a fair few cases… but they were cities, with airports, and certainly in the case of Firenze, quite a high Asian population. So at the kennels, everyone was vaguely staying further away from each other, but that was about it.
Towards the end of the morning one of the girls told us that there was a new ruling that there could only be 3 people in a bar at one time. As we normally go for a cheap and cheerful lunch, this was somewhat concerning to us, and as soon as all the work was done, we raced to get to our local. As it turned out, the regulation was dependent on the size of the bar, and since ours is quite spacious there was no problem. As we arrived so did some American friends from Cortona, we exchanged news but sat separately.
What does it actually mean?
So back at my place on Tuesday, we carried on as normal… we had already walked our dogs together in the nearby fields, and to prepare for lunch I had been down to the local shop. As had already become the norm, Simona and Diego were wearing gloves, and when I went to take some oranges they quickly asked me to put one on too.
Question… what’s the difference between wearing gloves to pick up fruit, and picking up a jar of coffee? Suppose I am already carrying the virus, then move a jar of coffee to get to the brand I want… will I leave germs? How long can these germs last? Questions we all start asking ourselves. And even… can dogs transmit the virus on their coats… if someone at the kennels was already infected yesterday, could I have caught it through patting transmission? How long would it last on a dog’s coat? Happily, a friend had already done the research and reassured me that dogs cannot catch it. (I think saw something about a dog having it, but I shall choose to believe my friend… with four at home, that’s what I really need to believe!)
But what of my super sociable cat Gizmo, everyone’s friend, who visits all the neighbours round and about. Could it be transmitted on his coat? Who knows? Best then to not worry about it. They say that even if you get it, as long as you are in relatively good health, it is not much worse than a bad cold or a mild case of flu. So although Graham did leave half an hour early just to be on the safe side, there really wasn’t any sense of panic.
Weds 11th March — Day 1
I got an email today with a form attached to it, which apparently, I have to print out, fill in, and carry at all times when I leave the house. I have to give my details, name address etc and details of my identity card which I also have to carry. Not such a great hardship in the general scheme of things.
At this time of year, and at my age of 64, I am not that sociable. I prefer to save my energies for socialising in the good weather. Also, since quite a lot of my expat friends close by come in for spring or summer, there isn’t actually that many people around to socialise with. I am lucky enough to have a sort of mini conservatory where I and my animals spend a lot of time, reading, dreaming, painting etc. For his isolation, Busta decided to take on Italian literature … but it all turned out to be a bit too much for him!!
Until yesterday I was still hoping to celebrate my birthday, and maybe the long-awaited arrival of a much-needed cheque next week, with some friends who live near the lake. Clearly that’s not going to happen as none of us can leave our communes, and I am now starting to wonder if my Brit friends will make it out here. Some others who I was with a few days ago are worried about getting back to the UK, and thinking of return earlier than planned. I still see my next-door neighbour fairly regularly, and also a good friend down in Camucia, but she had the flu a week or so back, so I haven’t seen her for a while.
Normally tho’, my social life consists of yoga, Tai Chi and belly dancing classes, and since none of these happen on a Wednesday, I would probably be staying at home anyway, apart from the daily dog walk. I try to use wintertime to get on top of paperwork, and to continue my five-year mission to boldly go into every cupboard drawer and wardrobe… to sort out, de-clutter and throw away, thus leaving myself free to enjoy the nicer weather. Well that’s the theory anyway… practise not so good.
I am a hoarder and hopeless at it. I have a smallish house, which should actually to be more than sufficient, but I also have 4 dogs, 2 cats and a painting habit. The painting started about 9 years ago, and now takes up a lot of space. I have materials, failed paintings, good paintings, paintings I am hoping to one day finish, paintings I am actively working on etc etc. I have an inability to throw away documents, (just in case I may need them one day), and also clothes, (I have one dress that is at least 20 years old). When you combine this with all the accoutrements relating to pets, plus said pets themselves, you could see how I might start to be feeling rather cramped!! Maybe this is finally my opportunity!!! Ever optimistic! Forza!!
