Born to Hand Jive
And here it is. Phase 2. Before I launch into my recount of yesterday’s events, I need to rectify what I wrote in my last blog entry. It turns out you cannot visit with friends, not even the dearest, truest friends. Sorry for the false alarm. But you can still visit with your significant other, or relatives up until the 6th degree (or is it 8th?) of kinship (wearing a mask). Visits of this nature require a self-certification form, where you clarify whom you are visiting, and the degree of kinship, but you don’t have to give the person’s name, as this would be an intrusion of privacy.
I celebrated the beginning of Phase 2 by waking up early to see the sunrise. At 6:15 am I was out of the house and I walked into the town centre to see Milan’s cathedral, the Duomo. I wore sweats and sneakers to make sure I looked like I was doing “physical activity” and not out for a joy walk. Taking a stroll for amusement is not permitted, after all. On my way I noticed that some cafés had opened for take-way, and I observed a few people happily carrying a coffee cup and a white paper bag, probably containing a warm chocolate or marmalade cornetto - a classic Italian breakfast, usually consumed standing up at the bar of the café. There was still little traffic, but it was before rush hour.
The last time I saw the Duomo was March 7th. I know the date because I had an appointment with my hairdresser. My salon is situated in the penthouse of the Rinascente, an iconic department store, and has a rather spectacular view onto the top of the Duomo. There were very few customers, which was odd for a Saturday, but the Coronavirus emergency was already brewing. Schools had been closed for two weeks. Still, my stylist and I didn’t understand what all the fuss was about. We complained about people being paranoid. We worried about what was around the corner. The next day the lockdown was announced, and all I’ve seen of the Duomo since are images of it in the media. Those haunting pictures of the square in front of it completely deserted. I wanted to see it like that with my own eyes, before it gets crowded and infested with pigeons and tourists and people selling strange bouncing balls or cigarette lighters shaped like a toilet. Unsurprisingly, I wasn’t the only one who had this idea, so there were a few others out and about, but it was still largely empty and monumentally beautiful. A sight I won’t forget anytime soon.
As I made my way home, I passed many runners out for their first jog in 8 weeks. Beside me an angry woman shouted at all runners who were not wearing a mask (there were a few). She looked at me each time, rolling her eyes and hoping to find an ally in her little war. I ignored her. With each passing non-mask wearer she seemed to get a little more inflamed, until she became so aggressive that she actually stopped one of them dead in the street and began to berate her. Ironically, she did not keep a one-meter distance while shouting at the jogger, getting up right in her face. The runner defended herself by saying that wearing a mask while running was not required. Indeed, the regulations around mask wearing are different on a federal and state level. While the Prime Minister’s decree declared masks mandatory only in indoor environments where you cannot physically distance, the state of Lombardia has announced that it is always obligatory- even outside walking or running on the street.
I am deeply uncomfortable with this new Corona vigilantism. People seem to love reporting on their neighbours and contacting the authorities every time they see someone “misbehaving”. Beppe Sala, our Mayor made the point, which I agree with, that Phase 2 is not about “the good against the bad”, it’s not about being against each other, divided, but to try and act responsibly, together, as a community. He said this in light of a silly episode which happened on Sunday, about which he had gotten a ridiculous amount of complaints. Two so-called DJs decided to play music from their balconies and people flooded into the streets to dance. An investigation was launched and those who initiated the street party have been warned. In his daily video, Sala reminded those who had participated in the dance-off that they are not on the set of Grease or (since they are young) La La Land. I do quite like Beppe Sala, but I think someone needs to advise him about making more generationally relevant analogies. Even La La Land is not exactly current. Maybe referring to a Tiktok challenge would be more effective.