Weaver: Take this virus seriously

Editor’s note: Vivian Weaver is a 1971 graduate of Johnston High School. She moved to Rome in 1979. The following are her thoughts and observations from inside one of the nations hardest hit by the COVID-19 crisis.

My fellow Johnstonites, Americans have always been arrogant but this is the first time I’ve ever considered that many of us must be seriously foolish. Are some people not understanding the seriousness of Corona?

This week, PBS aired a documentary on Frontline, which you can stream at pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/nurse-fight-covid-19-coronavirus-italy. It’s a heartbreaking story centered on a hospital in Cremona, Italy, one of the northern towns hardest hit by the virus.

As of Monday, Italy is fully open. To be extra safe, Mario and I will not take public transport, even though there are strict rules posted on the doors about how many people can enter and the distances people must keep on busses, trains and trams.

Instead, I bought a used bike, although Mario is nervous about me riding in traffic. Frankly, I’ve always gotten around on a bike and figure my survival chances are better against Roman traffic than the virus.

Mario’s office is only a 20-minute walk to Piazza Venezia, but he’s still working from home. Certainly, he’s gotten spoiled with me making lunch every day, but at 72, he does not want to take chances of being close to people or dining out.

There are no longer lines at grocery stores, but as all other stores have just opened, they have lines. With all the cooking and no exercise, I put on 10 pounds, so I too need to get in line for new clothes.

From the beginning of this horrific story till 20 April, Rome had 4,100 cases. In a city of 5.4 million, it could have been much worse. Milan, a city of 1.3 million has over 22,000 cases, and in Bergamo, one of the hardest hit towns, 1 in 200 people died.  It’s not possible to imagine such devastation.

In mid-April, some of the lockdown rules were lifted and by May 5, Rome had a sudden surge of over 1,000 new cases. What happened?

The other night, we learned through health officials tracking cases, the high numbers were because 10 people went to a funeral and comforted and hugged each other … and one was contagious. The others not only got sick, they spread it around their apartment buildings.

It was scary when the TV anchorman explained how quickly the virus spread, but hopefully, this was a warning for everyone.

Last week, there were just 150 new cases in Rome. Hardly perfect, and who knows when, if ever, we will be safe and back to normal, but all we can do is take precautions.

On Monday, the owner of our coffee bar, located on the ground floor of our building, arrived early to occupy an empty parking space in front of his shop. He set-up two cement planters to block cars from entering, and used the space to put four outdoor tables, each 6 to 8 feet apart. This may not be completely legal but fortunately, the police have already passed by without a comment. This is great as the neighborhood needs this much-desired service.

Beyond Italy, however, I’m far more concerned about America. I heard from friends in Michigan and Florida that people are going around without masks and not practicing distancing.

Yesterday, I saw photos of people in NYC and California, and they too seemed unconcerned about being without masks or in large groups. Are those people foolish? Do they really not understand the risks they take?

I read that the Federal Hill Restaurant Association is planning to close Atwells Avenue this summer on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights so restaurants can put tables in the street.  Seems a logical plan and a good way to support local businesses.

We Rhode Islanders are smarter than the average bear, so we know better than to go without masks or to get together with groups of even 10 people or to hug or kiss others.

We will survive this by being smart and truly understanding the dangerous alternative.

Lastly, Democrats and Republicans tell me that Gina Raimondo is doing a good job. It’s very important when people are in harmony with our leaders and support them.

Let’s all stay safe.