Let There be (Some) Light

Hello all! I am sorry for the long break but to be honest there hasn’t been much change since the last post. Personally I feel like I have aged 10 years but as for rules and regulations regarding COVID-19 there hasn’t been anything new. With that being said I will update you all on what is going on here because there seems to be some light! I don’t want to say it’s the light at the end of the tunnel because it is far from being over but there is some good news coming. I like to imagine we are in a collapsed cave and each new phase is us moving the rocks so we can get out. Each little rock or phase lets in a little light. We have to work a lot to move each rock but with each rock there is more light. We are not at the end but we can see the work that will help us get there. Great Mackenzie, can you get to the part where you update us? Yes of course. Here we go.

Since my last post Italy has still been in a very strict lockdown. I mentioned in my last post, I Am You A Few Weeks from Now, that we were not able to leave our homes for anything unless it was for a medical reason or for grocery shopping and we could only go alone, no groups or pairs. We also needed to have a certificate with us if we left our homes to prove that leaving our homes was essential. Those who were stopped without the certificate could be fined. These rules are still in place today. Initially our lockdown was supposed to end April 13, 2020 but that was quickly changed to May 4, 2020. Besides the new end date, not much really changed regarding the rules. The only rule added was that masks are required by everyone or at least covering of the face. Everyone has to wear a mask while out so if you want to walk your dog, mask. If you need to get something at the pharmacy, mask. Most people were already following this rule before it was official, so like I said it wasn’t a huge change. When the rule was officially made, the Italian government did try to distribute masks to their citizens. However, the masks were distributed differently depending on the city or region. Here in Lombardy, every person could go to the pharmacy to receive 2 masks. There were some problems in the beginning because people who did not have masks to go get the masks could possibly get a fine and pharmacies ran out of masks very quickly. I read in Tuscany they were delivering masks by post and that each person also received 2. Masks don’t seem to be a huge problem anymore especially recently since the Prime Minister set a price cap on masks at 50 cents. In case you are wondering, yes Pasquale and I have our masks.

Now to the good part. The Italian Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte, gave a speech on April 26, 2020 to announce the plan for phase 2 starting May 4, 2020. Initially I wasn’t the happiest watching his speech because it honestly didn’t sound any different than what we have already been doing. Was I expecting a liberation day celebration on May 4? Ya kind of! Was I expecting streamers and a parade? No but it wouldn’t have hurt. Conte’s phase 2 is going to be very slow. May 4, 2020 will initiate the first change. Factories will open and construction can resume. We are allowed to practice individual sport outside again and people are allowed to walk more than 200 meters away from their homes. Bars and restaurants can open for delivery or take away only. Of course this is all with masks and no gatherings! Families can see each other but only if they are in the same region, so there is still no region to region travelling. On May 18, 2020, museums and cinemas will open. There will be rules regarding distance and groups of course. On June 1, 2020, beauty salons, gyms, and small stores will be able to open and bars and restaurants will be able to offer dine in while following distancing rules. Of course this can all change. These date are only relative to the decline in numbers but Conte made it very clear the moment our numbers go up we shut back down. That’s everything at the moment. We are still anxiously waiting to see what our summer will look like but if we have learned anything during this time, it’s to take it one day at a time. There are lots of talk about the future plans but our eyes are glued to May 4th. Only from there can we really see what will happen. I know phase 2 looks different for everyone and I would love to hear what is happening where you live. What are your opinions? Do you agree? Disagree? Let’s discuss. Send me an email.

All in all, I hope that everyone will do their part to help keep this virus under control. We need to accept what we can do to help and make those changes, not only for ourselves but for everyone. We still have a long way to go but like I said before we are starting to see the light. Soon everyone will be able to see the light too.