Author＼Life Newspaper Orange

"It really sucks now, but life and love are still going on."

Italy is the first European countries that have implemented nationwide lockdowns in response to the 2019 novel coronavirus pandemic have banned public gatherings and closed schools. They have also strictly restricted people's activities and people should not go out unless necessary to avoid the rapid spread of the virus.

Among them, Lombardia is the hardest-hit region, with about 14,000 cases of infection and more than 2,000 deaths. Among them, Milan, Italy's largest metropolitan area, has also been infected with nearly 2,000 cases, and the epidemic is very serious. (This is data released on March 20)

The epidemic has had a drastic impact on the social life style of local people. For example, in the metropolis Milan, which is known for its "indifferent", local residents live busy and fast-paced lives. Soon, the time and enthusiasm for in-depth communication with people are lost. However, the lockdown forced them to slow down and re-value the opportunity to get along with others. During this period, Milanese seemed to have regained the romantic feelings that exist in the blood of the Italian nation.

Here are a few true stories based on reports from "1843Magazine":

The same predicament makes it easier for people to get closer to each other

The vibration of the phone broke the silence of the Milan night. Giulio cleared his throat and answered the video call. Lorenzo, his friend he met on the dating app, appeared on the screen of Giulio's cracked iPhone, with a faint smile hidden under his thick beard. Lorenzo broke the silence and said, "Sorry, I'm late." "It doesn't matter, I'm not going anywhere anyway." Giulio replied.

Lorenzo described his quarantine life: the alarm clock rings at 8 a.m., he does push-ups in the living room at 9 a.m., starts working remotely at 6 p.m., chats with his parents every night, and catches up on a show on Netflix before falling asleep. , every day life sounds similar

Giulio believes that locking down the city seems to build a high wall, but paradoxically, it breaks the communication barriers between people because everyone is trapped in Being in the same predicament, with similar thoughts and emotions, this "similarity" seems to make it easier for people to establish relationships and provide mutual support. This is a rare positive aspect of this disaster.

Before the pandemic, young people would gather outside bars to chat and laugh all night long, making them the ideal place to meet new dates. Now that gatherings are no longer allowed, people must use technology to seek connection with others. Especially during this disturbing period, they need to complain and comfort each other.

Therefore, even if some people are not looking for a love partner, they will start to use online dating apps. Take the French dating app "Once" as an example. Within a week of the lockdown, there were 30 % of active users.

Isolation makes people value communication with others more. Even if they don’t know each other and are in the same predicament, it also allows people to open their hearts to each other more.

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Long-distance love during epidemic prevention has an extra kind of romance

On a sunny Thursday afternoon, Chiara was wearing a navy blue Polo shirt He put on a green sweater and met Marco, whom he met through a dating app. In order to prevent the spread of the virus, they maintained a distance of one meter and sat on opposite ends of a bench in the park, looking at each other. Marco asked: "How are you during the lockdown?" This sentence has almost become the conversation starter among Italians.

Chiara shrugged and described her sister’s story: “After the lockdown, my sister was stuck in Milan, and her husband was stuck in Rome. Every day, the couple set the alarm clock at the same time. After getting up, Having breakfast together via video call."

Andrea and Lucia, a young Milanese couple who live with their parents, also started a unique long-distance relationship because of the epidemic. Andrea is more cautious. As long as the virus does not disappear, he does not want to go out even if he wears a mask.

So, in order for the two of them to meet, Lucia would ring the bell at his door every night. Andrea would go to the balcony after hearing the doorbell, and they would chat under the glare of the street lamp from a distance. , just like Romeo and Juliet in the 21st century, there is a sense of romance in tragedy.

The increase in physical distance does not mean that the distance in heart also increases. True love will prompt them to find a way to love each other in difficult situations. Because of this distance, love seems more precious than usual.

Online pre-dinner drinks and supermarket queues are alternative social venues

Italians are accustomed to drinking alcohol one or two hours before lunch or dinner. It’s also a great opportunity to connect with friends and family.

After the lockdown, many Italians still cannot do without "Aperitivo" gatherings, so they changed the gathering to an online format, where friends prepare a few glasses of beer at their own dining table. , and then open Skype to chat with each other, just like sitting at the bar, but the opening sentence is nothing more than "How are you during the lockdown?"

Milanese journalist Sergio, who recorded the above life under lockdown, said that he had not seen his friends since the first day of lockdown, so he decided to arrange an online pre-dinner drink party and went to the supermarket to buy wine. , interesting phenomena were observed.

In locked-down Milan, apart from work and health reasons, the only reasonable reason to go out is to go to the "supermarket" to purchase daily necessities. Anyone going out must carry an official certification form with them and check the "necessary reason" box, as police patrols are stepped up on the streets.

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Even if you can go to the supermarket to buy things, the control is still very strict. Customers must enter in groups. Only three to four people can enter at a time to avoid large crowds and finish shopping. Everyone who came out looked relieved. Dozens of people wearing gloves and masks would line up on the sidewalk and wait for about an hour while maintaining a safe distance from each other.

Queuing in the supermarket has become an alternative social place during the lockdown, because it is difficult to meet so many people in the same space as you. Sergio once observed a young man wearing a mask*** and then posted a post on Instagram with the following text: "See you in the queue at the supermarket!"

Former employee at Yiyi Isao Miyajima, a Japanese writer from the Italian newspaper Rome, mentioned in his book "Italian Life Philosophy" that Italians have the ability to "live in the present". If something new and interesting to them appears, they will forget everything. , keen on current people and things.

Perhaps in the painful lockdown life, the nature of Italians can guide them to discover other ways to communicate with loved ones, and these small romances can bring a little comfort to their lockdown life. .

Authorized reprint by VidaOrange. Original source "It really sucks now, but life and love are still going on." The unique "long-distance dating" story of Italians during the epidemic prevention lockdown