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‘”Sorry we can’t help you. We don’t know anything about the masks.” The pharmacist was apologetic behind his own mask and his glass barricade.
“But I got this press release from the regione Lombarda yesterday. It says that more than three million masks have arrived here, including 249,000for the provincia di Varese. Ours is the largest city in Varese, so surely some of them are allocated to us? The press release says especially to the ‘most vulnerable,’ and my husband has diabetes.”
“Yes, we know, and he would certainly qualify as among the most vulnerable. But we don’t know WHEN these masks will arrive. We haven’t been told the criteria or process for distribution. We know they will be free to certain customers but that’s all we know for now.”
“How do I find out? What am I supposed to do, camp out here? The police don’t like that. Even if I walk here with my dog, the police aren’t happy seeing me out and about too often.”
The pharmacist shrugged. I imagine he grimaced beneath his cloth protection. “Give us a call this afternoon. Or tomorrow. Maybe we will know more.”
It’s a perfect illustration of the difference between well-intentioned and well-articulated policies, and the scrambling that happens between the two — not only in Italy but…
