 Coronavirus case situation worldwide on 17 March 2020, WHO On 9 March 2020, the government of Italy under Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte imposed a national quarantine, restricting the movement of the population except for necessity, work, and health circumstances, in response to the growing outbreak of COVID-19 in the country.  Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte orded National lockdown in Italy due to outbreak of Coronavirus Less than a week later, on 14 March 2020, The Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez formally declared a state of emergency, placing the country in lockdown and ordering people to stay at home for the next two weeks unless they have to buy food or medicine or go to work or hospital, meaning more than 100 million Europeans in the two countries are now in lockdown.  Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez implementing state of alarm On 16 March 16 2020, German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier told its people to "stay at home". On the same day, The White House urged all older Americans to stay home and everyone to avoid crowds and eating out at restaurants as part of sweeping guidelines meant to combat an expected surge of coronavirus cases. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is still under quarantine after his wife tested positive for Covid-19, urged people to stay at home and closed its border to "People who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents."  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holding a news conference on the coronavirus situation, at Rideau cottage, in Ottawa, 16 March 2020 Even Boris Johnson, the UK Prime Minister who has previously asked only the people with symptoms to stay at home, has changed his tone to urge all people to stay at home and avoid all unnecessary social contact with others. Today, one day later, on 17 March 2020, French people are required to stay at home after midday unless they need to buy groceries, travel to work, exercise or for medical care, making France the third European country into National lockdown after Italy and Spain.  French President Emmanuel Macron uses "Nous Sommes en guerre" 6 times during his speech on 16 March And all Schengen borders are now closed.   Rome's diserted Piazza Navona, Antonio Masiello/Getty Images After Italy's lockdown, the Italian people have invented various creative ways to live with the new norm. Some cafes learned to serve the espressos on a tray with a handle longer than 1 meter(the new standard of social distancing), some people became runners so they can stay outside longer, but more Italians sang from their balconies (called by someone "balconi") to entertain their neighbours with national anthem or operas.  Across Spain, Spanish people are having new ritual of applauses from their windows or terraces at certain time every night, to thank the health workers who are at the frontline of the war against coronavirus everyday. Meanwhile, however, there are people who have learned a trick to stay outside: borrow dogs from the neighbour. Because according to the Spanish government statement: you can not go out, but if you have a dog, you can walk your furry friend with four feet.  As the lockdown continues, perhaps Italy will become a running country and Spain will have more dog owners. What will the French people do to live with national lockdown? Making more love? Or like the president Emmanuel Macron suggested: Read?  Puss in Bottes (1875) by James Wells Champney (1843-1903)  sunshine in the drawing room, by Vilhelm Hammershøi (1864-1916) Comments are closed.
|