What we can learn from a family under COVID-19 quarantine in Italy
COVID-19 is taking a heavy toll on Italy and a family in a small town east of Rome believes there are lessons we can learn here in the United States.
The Petrini family lives in Tivoli and is living under a quarantine order that requires them to stay inside, unless they are going to the grocery store or pharmacy.
"We can't walk around, at all," Luigi Petrini told ABC11 in a Skype interview from his home. "Only the people that go to work, essential work, workers who cannot be let go, they allow you to go to work."
The Petrini family is related to an ABC11 employee and they are watching the number of coronavirus cases add up across their country of 60 million people. A total of 63,927 people have tested positive and more than 6,000 people have died, according to an online database at Johns Hopkins University.
Petrini believes the United States should follow the lead of Italy's lockdown.
"America should do what Italy is doing now," said Petrini. "They should block everything, immediately. They must not waste time."
People in Italy are not permitted to exercise outdoors, can be fined 500 Euros if they have coronavirus and ignore the quarantine, and they cannot take their dogs on walks, according to Petrini.
"We can't walk around, at all" said Petrini. "People can't actually bring their dogs out. They can stay 10 meters from the house and they have to get back in quickly."
Petrini has been idled from his job at the printing operation for a local newspaper.
His wife, Carla is a school teacher and is working remotely as she continues educating her students.
"The more time people can stay at home, the quicker the solution will come for everybody."
Petrini is also looking for the bright side of being at home 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
"You don't normally have all this time to think about the family, you always run, run, run," said Petrini. "I think this is a good thing at the moment."
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