Life Under A Coronavirus Lockdown; Bay Area Woman Checks In From Rome
ROME (KPIX) -- When Sarah Frank moved to Europe from San Francisco, she didn't know the city would've prepared her for a massive coronavirus outbreak in Italy.
"I feel so ready for something like this," she explained in a facetime with KPIX 5. "Because after riding BART, after walking through the Tenderloin, you know these things, like taking your shoes off at home, never touch your face, cover your mouth when you cough."
Frank is among 60 million people in Italy currently under a government mandated coronavirus lockdown as the county's struggles to halt the spread of the virus.
Italy has suffered the most deaths from the virus outside of China. While many have rushed to local stores in the Bay Area to stock up on supplies, Frank said the madness overseas isn't quite like what it is back home in the United States.
"I'm sort of used to the Black Friday of America, where people are ripping things off the shelves," said Frank.
But when she got in to her local grocery store early Tuesday morning in Rome, she was surprised by how calm it was.
"There was plenty of food, and people seemed to be getting what they needed," Frank said. "It truly was different than some of the pandemics I've seen like earthquakes and the tornadoes of the Midwest or snowstorms."
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COMPLETE COVERAGE: CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK
Frank said there was a line outside of the store, but instead of lining up single-file, people were "zig-zagged" to be the recommended three feet apart.
Under the lockdown, residents are prohibited from going outside after dusk. The curfew is also in effect for restaurants and shops.
"All restaurants close at 6 P.M., but a lot of restaurants aren't even doing dinner service and they close after lunch," Frank said. "They have to have the tables arranged in such a way that there's three feet in between each table."
"The guidance that they've given is to be smart, and think of other people," explained Frank of the government's actions.
When asked if she was scared of the current situation in Italy, Frank said she's focused on keeping herself safe and other people safe,"because it's easy to go down the rabbit hole of reading a new article here and there."
Frank, who works remotely for a San Francisco-based business, has been working from Italian home. She said, her company has had to reassess its practices following the outbreak.
"Our hiring plan has changed, given the fact that a lot of our business is generated through conferences," she said. "Given the fact that a lot of conferences have been canceled, at this point in time."
With all that is happening surrounding the coronavirus, Frank advised Bay Area residents to stay inside if you can.
"Now's the time to binge-watch that Netflix series, or take on a new hobby at home like crocheting," she said. "Now's not the time to go to concerts or movies"
