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Day 32: life in Italy under lockdown. What will the world be like post-crisis?
Something felt different this morning from the moment I stepped into the corridor to take my dog for a walk. In recent weeks the elevator has remained on our floor from the night before, when I would take my final evening outing with Giada at 9 or 10 pm. But today the elevator wasn’t there. Someone else had used it after us. Not only: the elevator was OCCUPIED. The light was red. Someone else was using it right at that moment. That hasn’t happened in weeks.
We went outside, blinking in bright sunshine and saw FIVE other people walking, two with dogs (OK) and three doing . . . what? One was a grey-haired woman with mask standing in front of a profumeria(cosmetic store) as if she expected it to open at any time. NO, that wasn’t going to happen. Maybe she was waiting to be joined by a friend? THAT is still a no-no. As I walked up and down the viale with my dog, a police car slowly made its rounds. The woman disappeared.
Another was a man with a mask walking deliberately toward the center of town. Headed to the bakery, maybe, or the pharmacy? OK. The third was a 30-something, no mask, dressed for maximum exposure to the sun (shorts and t-shirt), no specific purpose to his step. Where were the police for him? It’s against the law in Lombardia to walk outside without a mask.
