When I was returning from Italy, nobody foresaw a catastrophe coming to claim the lives of more than 5000. Maybe, if we had all understood the gravity of the situation, many more Indian students would have returned home safely.
Before it all began…
In January, exams for the winter semester were getting over and students were planning to go back to their home countries. Those who stayed back were either preparing for their remaining exams or they were planning to go on a trip to other European cities. A new virus emerging from China was just another news article. After all, Wuhan is almost 8600kms from Milan (which is more than twice the distance between India and Wuhan). We felt quite safe at our homes in Milan. Posters for the Chinese New Year festival in Milan announced that the celebrations will happen on 25th January in Via Paolo Sarpi (fondly known as Chinatown). A cautious majority of us were reluctant to attend the celebrations.
By the end of February…
A new semester was about to begin and students who went abroad were returning back to Milan. Airports had started screening for fever and other symptoms of Corona. The fear was beginning among students and also the general Italian population. From the supermarkets, panicked families started hoarding non-perishables and foodstuff with long shelf life. Pharmacies were rapidly running out of basic medicines, N95 masks and hand sanitizers.
Some of us who had just returned from India started booking tickets back to India within the next three days. Air India flights got fully booked out and students had to book costlier alternatives even if it meant long transit times.
Flight announcements had just started announcing that if we had any symptoms we have to seek the help of airport authorities in order to have an early diagnosis and prevent the spread of the disease. Many of us who landed in India were afraid of being detained, but we didn’t face any checks at the airport. Through phone calls with my friends in Milan I understood the peril that stood before Italy.
A nightmare known as Corona
The government had announced emergency. Checks at the airport became stringent. The university had to postpone the ‘Open Week’ event where new students are welcomed into the campus. Distance learning was initiated to ensure the flow of education. Even graduations were performed online. Graduating students sat in their respective homes in front of their laptop web cameras, while dressed in a suit and wearing the corona (which is the crown made of branches of laurel tree worn by graduating students).
Today Italy is going through one of the toughest times in history. Citizens were stuck inside their homes and hospitals were filled with patients. News channels are continually updating the number of infected and deaths. Even in these perilous times the government ensures that the citizens do not feel stranded in their homes. The local polizia encourage citizens to stay at home, while going on rounds. News channels and official website of the Comune of Milan continually give updates on the situation and new decrees passed by the government. A network has been formed to aid the citizens facing emergency situations. They give special attention to the elderly.
Many weeks have passed since the quarantine began. Only supermarkets and pharmacies are open. The streets are continually monitored by the police and the army. A person may leave the house only in order to buy food, medicine or for work (only if he/she has permission to go for work). Without valid reason if a person leaves the house, a penalty of 200 euros will be charged. However vast a supermarket maybe, only around 5 people are allowed to enter at a time. Centers are set up to take care of the basic dietary needs of the poor. Delivery trucks are deployed to bring groceries to the doorstep.
Even amidst the lockdown, university professors adhere to the lecture schedule and teach the lessons online through Microsoft Teams application. Many companies that make engineering software have given free subscription for students, so there is no constraint on academics.
Italians place a lot of importance on social life. Now, when the Italian government is advising people to follow social distancing, their penchant for social interaction has only increased! They express their solidarity and comfort each other by singing and playing musical instruments from their balconies. Italy has gone through so many sorrows, but the songs that the Italians sing from their balconies convey that Italy will rise above this crisis too.
Author
Ajith is pursuing his master’s in mechanical engineering in Politecnico di Milano, Italy. He completed his Bachelors in Amrita School of Engineering, Coimbatore and worked as a software developer in Dassault Systemes, Bangalore for 2 year.
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