Author: Annabelle Casella There’s no doubt that the Covid-19 pandemic took a toll on people everywhere, but some had it harder than others. Many other countries became frustrated with Americans as they complained about their lockdown, but the truth is that America had a very easy lockdown compared to the rest of the world. As you all know, Americans were allowed to get take out, go to the mall, and do many other things during the pandemic, such as hiking and enjoying the outdoors. While some may think that not being able to dine-in is a harsh form of lockdown, it is far from what other countries endured. One place that had a significantly difficult time with the pandemic was Europe, specifically Italy. With its small land mass, dense population, and 22.8% of citizens being above the age of 65, Italy was a hot spot for COVID-19. One former Apollo-Ridge student, Courtney Casella, experienced the backlash of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy for herself. Courtney graduated from Apollo-Ridge in 2015 and continued her education in the United States Air Force. She was stationed in Aviano, Italy, in January of 2019 and is there until December of 2021. Courtney updated her fellow American citizens on life in Italy during the pandemic frequently. On March 8th, 2020, Courtney posted that all flights were shut down and she could no longer receive Amazon packages. The next day, on March 9th, she shared a post saying that the whole of Italy was on a lockdown, meaning they couldn’t leave their houses. On March 12th Courtney posted, “You are only allowed to go to work, grocery store and hospital. When going anywhere, you need documentation stating why or where. When grocery shopping, only one family member can go shopping at a time. This means your spouse cannot shop with you.” She also stated that it was mandatory to keep a meter distance between yourself and others. Schools were shut down, along with restaurants, stores, and barber shops. “Pretty much 99% of things are closed,” she said. “If you’re found disobeying these rules, there is a hefty fine (500 euro for not having your documentation).” She clarified that even military personnel on base were being fined. The next evening she posted that her TDY (business trip) to Iceland was cancelled. The same day she posted about people all over Italy making pretty signs with the saying “Andrà tutto bene,” meaning “everything will be okay” in English. People were putting these signs anywhere they could to spread happiness. Some people even carried that tradition from Italy to the U.S. Things were steady for awhile until March 20th, when she updated again. She said that situations were still the same, and people could only go to work, the hospital, and the grocery store. The new news was that teleworking was highly recommended. She also explained that many people were being charged for not following the lockdown rules. She also said, “The only thing that’s really changed is now there isn't any kind of outdoor sports, running, walking or riding your bike (unless you’re in your yard).” Fortunately for Courtney, she was living off base and had a yard while most other military personnel in Italy were living on base in small dormitories. “And out-numbers have skyrocketed,” she said. “We have 41k cases and of those cases, 4.5k have recovered and 2.5k are critically ill, and adding around 4-6k cases a day. Italy now has the most deaths from this virus, and the morgues are completely overwhelmed as are the medical staff.” She then asked that the people living in the States take this seriously and be kind to one another. At that time United States citizens were becoming furious with the shutdown being implemented. On March 26th she updated again, stating that people were going crazy with not having any contact other than the people with whom they lived. The next time she posted was April 6th, stating that their lockdown was extended until April 13th and that things were still the same. She also explained that everyone had to wear gloves and masks when leaving their houses. Then, on April 13th, she posted that the lockdown was extended until May 3rd. She also said that they could only buy essential needs from the store on base and that she “thinks we’re nearing the end of this madness.”
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