‘The Sea is Stormy and the Captain is Dancing on the Deck’: A View from Italy in the Time of Coronavirus

Severgnini has traveled extensively in the United States and lived there as a correspondent for the Italian daily Corriere della Sera. He spoke with Ben Wedeman of CNN in Rome via Skype about what he sees both in Crema and in the United States, a country he says he likes very much but now finds him puzzled at. coronavirus era.

Q. In your book, "La Bella Figura: An Insider's Guide to the Italian Spirit", you wrote that "Authority has worried Italians for centuries", but now with coronavirus they largely respect the authority, rules. Why is that?

A. You can be uncomfortable with and respect authority. This has been the case for centuries. Think of the time when we had the Spaniards here, the Germans, in the last century. In Italian history, you respect the authorities because you never know, you have to be safe. But on the other hand, you are uncomfortable. The novelty is that we follow the rules. The problem with managing Italy is that every Italian wants to decide whether rules, regulations, standards, anything, are really good for him or her. Once they have decided: "Yes, after all, it makes sense, fair enough", they follow the rules.

This time the threat is rather obvious. I'm talking to you about [the town of] Crema. Cremona is the only province hardest hit in Italy. You hear the sound of ambulances every day, as we have been doing for the past six weeks. Like New Yorkers now probably. You don't really need much to be convinced. And that's why, OK, I think it makes sense to stay at home.

Q. Is this a concern for the older generation, (the grandparents), behind this new respect for authority?

A. Now, it is certain that the older generation, people a few years older than me - we are talking later about the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s - was probably affected for two reasons. Firstly, because the authorities, particularly here in Lombardy, made a mistake by not sufficiently protecting care homes. Once there, the virus was like a massacre. And because the elderly, like nonni, really live with families and help with children and grandchildren in a way that only Spain, to my knowledge, is similar. Now, with the schools, one of the problems when people go back to work but the schools are not open, the grandparents cannot take care of the children, as they always have.

My wife's 92 year old aunt is a smoker, not a heavy smoker. She caught a coronavirus. She is at the hospital. She is much better now. She is fighting with the nurses because she wants to take off the oxygen mask for smoking. She is better, she will be released from the hospital in a few days.

Q. The Civil Protection Agency reports that the situation with the coronavirus is improving. Where are you, in Crema, do you see that it is improving?

In Crema, where I am, it's so sad. Every time I open the obituary pages of the local paper, I find so many people I know have died. A whole generation is destroyed.

A. Yes. I went from my home to my office, I have the right to do so, and today there are five times more people around me, shopping, going to the newsagent. A month ago, you could feel total emptiness and fear. It's not that people are careless. This is not the case. People can feel the situation is improving and the numbers say so. We have Cuban doctors and [Italian] in Crema, and they built a hospital and I went to see them several times. Everyone tells me about intensive care [unit] they have been empty for some time and they use them for rehabilitation.

The only really important numbers, unfortunately, are the deceased. I think when we test everyone, we are going to have a huge surprise. I think a lot of people have it and don't realize it, especially the younger ones.

Q. You have spent a lot of time in the United States, as a visitor, as a resident. Do you find the United States today, during the coronavirus era, different from the one you were there?

A. I hate bringing politics to this, but I think President Trump has changed the mood and the atmosphere and the perception [of the US] dramatically. When something like this happens, it becomes obvious and clear to everyone that you need a wise, calm and steady hand when the sea is stormy. The sea is stormy and the captain dances on the bridge, crying in the wind.

I have friends in Seattle, Washington. There they have their own plan, their own health arrangements and they are doing very well. They didn't care what they said in Washington.

Q. On May 4, Italy will begin to reopen. Are you optimistic that this can happen without too many problems?

Sometimes it's so hard to believe what's going on. You have the president ordering the foreclosure and you have the same president encouraging protests against the foreclosure that he ordered. It's like a Mel Brooks movie! It is not America that I know.

This interview has been edited for clarity. Source link

A. I think we are going to open. People will be careful. Nobody, nobody thinks it's over, it's done. It would be a huge mistake. It will be very progressive. Certain sectors, certain industries will reopen. But schools and movies and theaters and concerts and masses, where people gather, will probably only be seen in the fall, if we're lucky. In Italian we say it's " sail to vista "- navigate by vision - these are unexplored waters. I hope the Italian opposition, namely Matteo Salvini and the League [la Lega - [the far-right party] will not try to take advantage of it to create chaos and discord. In Portugal, this did not happen. The Leader of the Opposition over there said we are the same country, how can we help?