On Gurus, Godfathers and Priests
Yesterday it was announced that worldwide Covid19 infections have reached over one million cases. In Italy, the rate has been slowing down consistently for about a week (yesterday we were at 4,2%). Earlier today it was confirmed that the lockdown will be extended to May 3rd. It remains too soon to let our guard down. Angelo Borelli, head of the civil protection agency has floated the idea that as of May 16th, we could enter a much awaited “Phase 2”.
What exactly is “Phase 2”? Who knows? What’s clear is that the R0 has to reach 0,7-0,5. Currently the reinfection rate is between 1,1 and 1. Vaguely speaking, the plan is a reopening in stages. First there will be those businesses that are most needed, like those companies that service the pharmaceutical or food industries. With stores, much will depend on how large they are and if they can accommodate the proper safety distance between customers. Restaurants will likely be among the last to open, along with cinemas and gyms. Public events or large gatherings remain a distant dream. And what about the hairdresser and the aesthetician? This is the question pressing on every woman’s (and maybe some men’s) mind.
There is much talk about how troubled businesses, especially restaurants, offer a great window of opportunity for the Mafia (or the other crime organizations like the Camorra or the 'Ndrangheta) to swoop in. First, they lend owners money at a “better than banks” rate, but after a year they turn up the pressure until they take over the business and use it as a money laundering facility.
While the police worry about how to deal with the return of the godfather, in a small town in Calabria a priest was fined 400 euros for carrying a crucifix around town in a solitary (and unauthorised) procession. He was also given two weeks of house arrest. Such is the price for keeping up religious ritual during a pandemic.
Speaking of which, have you noticed how everyone has turned into a self proclaimed guru ? My social media feeds are bursting with “how to” suggestions, ranging from how to meditate, or do yoga, or breathe or boost the immune system, or be more productive. A lot of this content is not coming from people who weren’t doing this previously, but influencers or fashion designers or clothing labels who don’t know what other content to post. I admit I had a brief moment of thinking I could claim my own guru-dom. (In fact, I look back with slight embarrassment at one of my earliest posts where I gave some suggestions of this type). I am slightly sickened by it all. Everyone handles a crisis differently. Some of us meditate, others bake. Some of us exercise like crazy, others want to be couch potatoes. This is not the time “to do”, it is the time “to be”.