COVID-19

Q&A: Italian resident speaks to spread of COVID-19, living under lockdown

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Editor’s Note: Michelle Bir is an American photojournalist currently living in Italy. She has worked for multiple newspapers in North Carolina, including The Sanford Herald, where she worked with News +  Record reporter Zachary Horner.

CASTEGNERO, ITALY — Michelle Bir, her husband and four children, three of them school-aged, are currently living in a government-mandated lockdown in the Veneto region of Italy due to the widespread of COVID-19, or novel coronavirus. It’s been quite an experience.

“Italy has had 200 deaths in the last 24 hours,” she said on Thursday morning. “I think the lockdown was a Hail Mary to try to protect Italy’s aging population and to try to protect the overwhelmed medical system here.”

Bir spoke to the News + Record about living in Italy during the spread of COVID-19, how it’s affecting day-to-day life there and what America might be missing or not understanding about the situation.

When did you first hear about COVID-19 in Italy, and what was your first reaction?

Early February, I think. I don’t think I had much of a reaction, I think I sort of expected it to be everywhere and it was just a matter of time, just like SARS and H1N1 and other epidemics turned pandemics. I thought it was probably everywhere by now, people just weren’t being tested for it. The symptoms mirror influenza and allergies, it is spring so in a healthy adults, I would think the symptoms would be less obvious and many wouldn’t seek medical attention.

How much are you able to do during the lockdown?

As of right now, we are able to travel to work, to the doctor and to the grocery stores. Anything related to public gatherings — annual festivals (which communities rely on), sporting events, religious gatherings — are all canceled or postponed. You must keep a meter distance from other people and stores are limiting how many people can be in the building at a time. We are advised to not be out of our homes for exercise, unless we are walking our dogs.

How has the lockdown affected your family, including your children?

We are on the third week of virtual homeschooling, and it’s had its bumps but is now smooth sailing.

We are not living in fear, we are not in panic. Some places are harder hit than others — we now have 2 cases in our village of about 3,000. We understand that the government must do what is best for its citizens and we are sure they are doing everything in their power to try to contain the virus, but I don’t think it can be contained. We will reach the peak soon and as the temperatures start to rise we hope it will take care of itself.

We worry for the livelihood of our friends and family here that depend on tourism, and those not able to work right now. They might have some serious economic hardship in the future due to the lockdown and travel restrictions.

What’s something you’ve seen America(ns) miss or not understand about COVID-19 and how it’s affected Italy?

I think Americans have a tendency to react strongly out of fear. Time after time, health officials have told people that if you’re healthy, face masks are not going to protect you, and by buying them you are keeping them from sick people who need them. I think the masks give people a false sense of security. And if you can find out why in the world Americans are buying up all the toilet paper, I’d very much like to know.

I think people should try to remain calm and level-headed. Get off of social media, read what you need to only from legit sites and take a deep breath. Fear and panic are not going to solve anything and it’s no way to live.

Did you ever think you’d have to live under a situation like this? How are you personally handling this?

I don’t think I have put a lot of thought to it, but I don’t think it is out of the realm of imagination. There has been SARS, H1N1, Zika, Ebola, Measles, Yellow Fever — all sorts of things, but those were all things far away, and while I had concern for those who were impacted by them, I never worried about myself or my family. I guess I didn’t expect to be in the middle of one.

Personally, I am hard to rattle, so at no time have I experienced any kind of fear or panic. I think I am more fearful of other people’s reactions than the virus itself. People behave strangely when they are scared. My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones or are scared for their loved ones, but we are not fearful. It’s just not how we live.

coronavirus, COVID-19, Q&A, Italy, Michelle Bir