God Bless America. In the U.S., more than a blessing, this is a constant and comforting background which one hardly notices anymore. It provides the closing of almost every official statement, presidential statements or stump speeches, but also for journalists, actors, singers. It is a request to a secular god for a blessing that crosses all religions and protects all citizens.
The value assigned to it is directly proportional to the person who pronounces it, and so the attention it gets from the listener. It rings as pure hypocrisy coming from a president who did nothing to protect Americans from the tsunami of the virus, or I can be moved and understand the depth of this invocation when a governor who is doing whatever he can to help his city and his state. God bless New York.
In our country, where a politician can shamelessly appropriate the rosary or a prayer â indeed as a void slogan that doesân represent any value, I do not say Christian, but not even of community or solidarity – I miss a similar sentence, a simple God bless Italy that we could all use in this period of dark uncertainty, to invoke a common denominator to which everyone, believers in any god and non-believers, could rely to invoke the same wish – for healing, for rebirth, of an ultimate goal that we all want.
So God bless Italia, God bless the whole world: a wish to all of us to work together, to help one another, to learn from the mistakes made before and during this scourge, and to come out better. We should not leave this task exclusively to a lonely man in a rain-wet square …
A proposito degli scaldacollo comprati dalla Provincia
In una terra dove ogni abitante nasce praticamente dotato di sciarpa, e chiunque passa qui in inverno se ne procura subito una, la distribuzione di scaldacolli pagati con i soldi pubblici ha suscitato molte perplessitĂ .
Forse lâintenzione era buona: sappiamo ormai che coprirsi la bocca quando si esce è sicuramente da raccomandare, visto lâalto numero di asintomatici tra di noi. Dobbiamo comportarci tutti come se fossimo portatori sani (perchĂŠ potremmo non avere mai sintomi, o potremmo avere i primi sintomi domani, mettendo a rischio ogni nostro contatto giĂ oggi).
In Italia abbiamo passato settimane a discutere sullâutilitĂ delle mascherine (la stessa identica discussione che si ripete oggi in altri paesi): serve, non serve, serve solo a chi è ammalato o ai ai mediciâŚ. La realtà è che, se ce ne fossero abbastanza, le dovremmo mettere tutti – non per proteggerci (per quello devono essere molto tecnologiche), ma per proteggere gli altri dalle nostre goccioline potenzialmente infette. Un altro tassello nella grande tela della responsabilitĂ che, fino al vaccino, sarĂ lâunica arma per fermare il contagio.
Quindi lâinvito a coprirsi la faccia, ripetuto incessantemente dal Landeshauptman Arno Kompatscher e dallâassessore provinciale alla sanitĂ Thomas Widmann in tutte le conferenze stampa quotidiane della Giunta, è senzâaltro appropriato, e deve continuare. Usate la sciarpe, le bandane, gli scaldacollo che avete in casa, hanno esortato, indossandone uno anche loro. Un ottimo esempio che, fin qui, andava benissimo.
Ma spendere 450mila euro (il prezzo confermato dal direttore dell’Azienda Sanitaria Florian Zerzer secondo l’Alto Adige del 23 marzo) per una spesa assolutamente non necessaria in un momento in cui i soldi pubblici servono per tenere in vita le persone e lâeconomia (e serviranno per un lungo periodo) è un grave errore – di strategia e di percezione.
à importante però che errori come quello degli scaldacollo non vengano ripetuti, affinchÊ le risorse finanziare e umane si concentrino su quello che è imperativo fare e affinchÊ continui la fiducia nelle istituzioni, il collante che terrà insieme la fondamentale risposta sociale alla pandemia.
Di strategia, perchĂŠ si usano risorse che potevano essere usate meglio e perchĂŠ, oltre ai soldi, è stato speso tempo per cercarle, farle arrivare, distribuirle. E di percezione, perchĂŠ sembra che la Giunta si occupi di cose inutili, senza pensare alle conseguenze (la gente che esce di casa apposta per prenderle), con lâaggravante che le bandane sono state acquistate da una ditta di proprietĂ dei cugini dellâassessore Widmann. Le critiche vengono rigettate come attacchi alla lotta contro la pandemia. “Lasciateci lavorare,” dice Widmann.
Nelle scorse settimane molti politici e imprenditori locali si erano scagliati contro la Germania che allertava della presenza di focolai di coronavirus nelle nostre localitĂ sciistiche.
CosĂŹ come erano ampiamente legittimi gli allarmi della Germania, interrogarsi sulla validitĂ di questo costosissimo acquisto è giustificato. Non si critica per il gusto di farlo, ma per aiutare a migliorare il tiro in corso dâopera.
Ora è il momento di lavorare insieme e andare avanti. Dobbiamo riconoscere che il LH e tutti gli assessori stanno facendo sforzi sovrumani per arginare la marea del virus, e dobbiamo tutti sostenere questo sforzo, insieme a quello degli eroi in prima linea – infermieri, medici, tutto il personale ospedaliero.
à importante però che errori come quello degli scaldacollo non vengano ripetuti, affinchÊ le risorse finanziare e umane si concentrino su quello che è imperativo fare e affinchÊ continui la fiducia nelle istituzioni, il collante che terrà insieme la fondamentale risposta sociale alla pandemia.
Nella conferenza stampa del 23 marzo, il Presidente Kompatscher con una mascherina, lascando allo scaldacollo il compito dato dal suo nome
The drama of the past few weeks will offer study material for virologists, epidemiologists, and public health specialists to last a generation. Another interesting aspect to review will be how communication shaped the perception and the public response in the early stages of the contagion in Europe. It took a while for people in Europe to grasp the gravity of the situation and act accordingly. What was missing in the messages about the epidemic?
Anna Nardello
We still have a lot to learn about the virus but we can already say with confidence that we are dealing with a teeny tiny son of a bitch who is also incredibly cunning. Cunning and mean. Like a Teeny Tiny Thanos.
How cunning? Well, first and foremost, he found the perfect way to spread very widely. Like all of his kin, he needs a host to survive, but many of his cousins play tough and die while killing the hosts, or make them so sick that social distancing instinctively or forcefully kicks in. Teeny Tiny Thanos, on the other hand, invites himself in, and, all too often, gets all snuggly without bothering the host at all. Or maybe causes only a little fever or a nasty seasonal cold. But while all silent and polite, he is already shedding away with gusto. Contagion galore without making noise. Very cunning.
Secondly, in a stroke of marketing genius, he got himself a cute little name. So cute that we made beer jokes and crown jokes, and soon we were blabbering away like expert virologists that he is from the âsame family as the flu, which we all know kills many more people.â How on earth did Teeny Tiny Thanos get away without getting ârespiratoryâ or âpneumoniaâ or even âacuteâ added out in his name? Of course, if we spell out the full acronym – SARS-CoV2 – we do read âacute respiratory sindrome.â But, who does use this, let alone spell it out? Any name linked to this virus should have immediately flooded our brain with images of respiratory crisis – pulmonary fibrosis – can’t breathe – might need respirator in ICUs – are there enough of those in my hospitals? Next step might have been, what can I do to stop the contagion? Instead, we thought about the beer, and the many times we went about our daily life when we had the flu. Extremely cunning.
His next winning move was to choose the perfect location for his big premiere. China. So many people, so open to the world, so many opportunities to travel around, at globalization breakneck speed, to the four corners of the world, by plane, cargo, ship⌠We watched in horror and disbelief as he ravaged China, but we also felt at a very safe distance. And it looked like another peculiar Chinese disease that the Chinese were addressing with unfathomable measures: people locked in their apartments; doctors dressed up like Star Wars soldiers; police patrolling empty streets; hospitals being built in 10 days; smartphone trackingâŚ. China displayed a strange disease and an alien reaction: something we were horrified by but could not relate to. And we couldn’t relate any more to South Korea and its highly technological and digital response.
His latest skillful move was to choose Italy for his European debut. Beautiful country, excellent food, the oldest population in Europe mingling with the younger generations either by necessity or by inclination, millions of tourists, and an innate sense of distrusts for rules. Whatâs not to like for a mean, cunning virus?
Most of all, when the world realized that something really bad was happening here, it thought that Italians had, as usual, messed up. They couldnât get their act together. They socialize too much anyway. They know about food and soccer but what do they know about health care? They react slowly, emotionally, and of course they touch their face with their hands – they are always gesturing!
So our little cunning virus had all the time to ravage the country before others could relate to Italy, who could not relate to China. And at the same time he was traveling on ships and planes, playing Hollywood celebrity, basketball in the NBA, and soccer in Italy. Even getting very close to playing prime minister in Canada.
But then something finally clicked. It took us a while to get there, but hopefully we are now getting a little bit smarter than Teeny Tiny Thanos. His power comes from using so many of us as transport. There is no need to fight him or run from him. A few of us need to hide — the more vulnerable and fragile. For the rest of us, the most important thing to do is to stop playing Uber for him. It took us too long, but a collective Avengers mentality is finally emerging – unfortunately still one country at a time, as he seems to have gained a time advantage in every other country through his cunning moves. But we are getting there. The real superheroes are fighting in our hospitals and ERs and ambulances and family practices. The rest of us, millions of minor characters, get to play superheroes while sitting on the couch- the role of a lifetime!
We will isolate ourselves to isolate this cunning virus to protect our most elderly, our sick, and those who need it the most. We will thus buy time to get our health systems stronger. We will support our brave doctors and nurses. We don’t know that it will work, or how long it will take. We don’t know yet if Teeny Tiny Thanos will destroy our way of life in the process. But his time setting the rules is up. This is Infinity War. Endgame is not far behind.
Tough day – 368 deaths today, over 20,000 infected, and, in other otherworldly news, Germany is closing its borders⌠It is very, very hard to look at Europe right now, with the tragedy unfolding across the continent and every leader handling things his or her own way⌠So one hopes against hope that all this will be temporary, but it takes a long time to build trust and only a moment to destroy it. When it is gone, how do your rebuild it? For instance, wil parents in the future have the same confidence that their Erasmus student will be able to travel back and forth freely across Europe, at any point in time?
There are currently no flights between London and Vienna, just one of many examples of flight suspensions, and there is no way to know when they will resume.
In all this mess, Alex has decided after much deliberating that he will bunker in London with a roommate, and weather the storm in the UK This only adds exponentially to the anxiety and heartbreak of these tragic times.
I hear that in DC people still go out and about. So am adding a chilling âshow and tellâ that has already circulated widely on social media: The obituary pages of the local newspaper in Bergamo, a town in Lombardy that has been hit particularly hard.
Stay home. Stay home again, and maybe a little bit more. Good night, and good luck.
Only a quick note tonight to say that we are ok. Everything looks quiet outside as well as very orderly. Supermarkets are well stocked I hear, like bakeries, produce shops, and so on. Life continues as well as it can in Bolzano, Alto Adige SĂźdtirol, in the year of the pandemic.
I feel mentally exhausted – so am not adding more tonight, as I would only repeat what I said already, and I imagine that some of these are things you will now start seeing in your local news (bar the worst numbers, I pray).
A moving moment today: at midday in the whole country clapped from our balconies to show support for our medical staff. And you might have seen videos of people singing together across buildings as well. A wave of optimistic anxiety (something that a Danish sociologist said we should all need now) signaling that we are all fully aware of what is asked from us while supporting those on the front lines.
In the picture below: this is the closest I have been to my older sister this week. She visits my parents regularly, so we are being extra careful at keeping our distance ⌠My other sister walks up to my door and we chat briefly from afar âŚ
But yes – everything will be alright, like doctors keep telling us, if we do our part ⌠Optimistic anxiety indeed.
Europe is locking down, one country at a time, and every closure is a painful event for every European citizen. I spent the day trying to figure out if, and if so, how, Alex should come back home. Hopefully he can do so on Sunday. Anxiety is mounting at the enormity of what is unfolding in front of our very own eyes. Even Christine Lagarde messed up! So, thank God for the fifth season of Black-ish on Amazon.
I see schools closing and lockdowns everywhere. Many of you will be living the same reality soon, hopefully with less devastation outside – like when you have a hurricane warning but it does not materialize. We humans make a habit of our routines – or routines of our habits? – so now staying inside seems already normal (maybe fear helps in this regardâŚ) And it feels normal that your sister or your neighbor leaves grocery bags outside your door and you chat with them from a very safe distance, even if you are totally fine (thermometers donât lie!) and life outside your window looks so very normal – just a bit more quiet. Today I looked at our winter coats hanging in our entrance, and I realize we might not need them when we will get out – inevitably, spring is coming.
The news is like a war bulletin: updated numbers of infected, deaths, recoveries ⌠Some good news from the areas in Lombardy that first went into complete lockdown: very few new infections, social distancing seems to work, but unfortunately more cases expected elsewhere, after thousands left Milan in a hurry last Saturday mostly traveling South.
We are now at three deaths: our elderly as always are the first one to succumb. The Red Cross is setting up camp hospitals throughout the region, hopefully they will not be filled. I write this and I donât believe what I am writing.
I leave you with a corny video about Italy that chocked me up. Sound on (if it works) for the greatest tenor of all times (hope on in all countries!)
You know what you need to do. Good night and good luck.
Not less surreal than yesterday. But today it all became also very personal.
Our hometown registered the first victim, the grandmother of somebody very, very close to us. She was 85 and relatively ok, with pre-existing conditions – well, who among your parents or grandparents in that age group doesnât have pre-existing conditions?!?She had been admitted only on Monday, with the usual symptoms – a fever and a bad cold; she received a positive test result on the same day. She passed away last night.
So a statistic becomes a person in flesh and blood, who will have to wait until the end of the emergency to have a proper burial, because funerals are currently not permitted. How horribly sad is that.
Also, self-isolation has turned into a formal quarantine. A friend called to say they tested positive ⌠This was not surprising – the virus is everywhere, as the NBA and Tom Hanks have realized, and very widespread in our region, particularly in our nearby ski areas. So it was bound to happen. And in fact, my reaction was not fear, but an even bigger sense of guilt. For not having started social distancing and/or isolation earlier. For not seeing the huge, clear writing on the wall. For having sleepwalked, collectively, into this disaster.
In practice, this doesnât change anything. We have been in self-isolation since Monday, I was already checking our temperature regularly, so our routine of online lessons and homework for Anna, and obsessive news watching and calls with friends for me continues, except that will will receive a regular call from a nurse to check on us; the protocols so far seem to be working.
Guys, I know I sound like a broken record, but the speed at which things change is really breathtaking. My dad, born in 1933, says he remembers the curfews during wartime, and remembers empty shelves; but does not remember anything comparable to this complete shutdown. He is worried – as he should be, as it seems that the virus aggressively seeks out his demographic. He misses my daily visits and those of his nieces, and, if this wasnât enough, his beloved Juventus wonât play for a long while.
And still, we are privileged, sitting in our homes, while people get sick, the world is falling apart, and doctors and nurses fight on the frontlines⌠I think that it is their stories and their pleas that are having an impact and changing attitudes.
TVs, social media, online platforms should get politicians out of the way, even esteemed epidemiologists, and only interview ER doctors and ICUs nurses. It is only when we saw them on the brink of collapse that we had our Kaiyser SĂśze moment and, like in the final scene of The Usual Suspect, we put all the pieces together. Put the people on the front lines on our screens.
Donât wait. Stay safe, get ready, stay home. The more you do this, the lighter the wave will be.
(Canât find the name of the artist will add it as soon as I do!)
I avoided any comparison with 9/11 in the past few days, out of respect for the victims of the attacks and the wars that followed.
But the feeling of loss of all certainties, the feeling that the ground below your feet is giving in, taking you to uncharted territory, is very similar.
The difference is that in 2001 things changed immediately on that clear September morning.
Now, every day, every hour, something else is chipped away from the pillars of our everyday life. And when it happens, we wonder how could we simply take it all for granted?
Woke up to the latest blow just now. By now we know more will follow, maybe today, maybe in the next few minutes. Still, the suspension of travel to our home of 20 years – takes a moment to take in.
Imperative to focus our minds on the light at the end of the tunnel. This will end. The sooner we change our habits the sooner we can rebuild our certaintlies – they will be different of course, but hope and pray that unrestricted travel to the U.S. will again be one of them.
đşđ¸đŽđšđşđ¸
Stay safe, stop touching your face!, and stay home.
I donât even know where to start. I can just say that it still doesnât seem real. Overwhelming mood: sadness.
First of all, lockdown does not mean standstill – shops and workplaces are open, so (fewer) people are out and about, supposedly keeping at a safe distance from each other. Policy makers in Lombardy want a complete standstill in all activities (exceptions for food and health). Wuhan docent.
We are not in a ghost town, but some sense of urgency has finally set in.
[Stop touching your face, BTW]
I have stopped visiting my elderly parents (should have done it earlier!); Anna stopped meeting with friends even for walks (should have done it earlier!) Doing all meetings by phone (should have done it earlier!) And I met my sister for a few minutes, outdoors, keeping at a safe distanceâŚ
The disconnect between what little is, in fact, asked of the majority of us (just stay home!) and the enormity of what is going in the hospitals is gigantic. It is brought home only by the dramatic stories from exhausted health workers circulating on social media, all appealing to our sense of responsibility and urging us to stay home, you as!
Just saw that Sanders and Biden suspended campaign events. About time! Maybe some of our pleads to learn from our mistakes are having an impact!
Well, that was quick. The whole country is in total lockdown, and, strangely, the news almost came as a relief, simply because it was the right thing to do. Mitigation, mitigation, mitigation.
And about that thing that âonly the elderly really need intensive care:â Lombardyâs Welfare Minister Gallera said today that 33% of those needing intensive care, for up to 4 wks, are in the 50-to-64 age bracket. He also described how the region is rushing to increase its ICUs, including by turning ORs into ICUs. And this in the countryâs best health care system.
We are now starting to wrap our heads around the enormity of this. We will wake up to a strange new world.
Chasing Waterfalls 