Italian Quarantine Chronicles, Day 17: I did get my prescriptions sent to me via email. They were in encrypted PDFs, which I could not print. I had to walk up to the pharmacy today with my phone containing the emails.
We had some snow overnight, but it is now about 40degrees Fahrenheit, so the streets are clear.
I geared up with mask and gloves and ventured out for the first time in a couple of weeks, other than on my balcony or in the courtyard.
Walking through deserted streets was a bit eerie. The few people I saw were wearing masks. The sight of the lit up green pharmacy sign made me happy.
Luckily, there was no one inside when I arrived and the pharmacist who usually takes care of me waved me inside.
I opened the email and since I had the "code" memorized to access the actual script, I punched that in too, with my pinky finger because the gloves were making things a bit difficult.
She then (the pharmacist) punched something into their computer and printed out the scripts.
Once home, I peeled off the gloves inside out and tossed them, washed my hands, used alcohol on my phone, took off the mask, wiped down the doorknobs. Hopefully I will live to see another day.
We had some snow overnight, but it is now about 40degrees Fahrenheit, so the streets are clear.
I geared up with mask and gloves and ventured out for the first time in a couple of weeks, other than on my balcony or in the courtyard.
Walking through deserted streets was a bit eerie. The few people I saw were wearing masks. The sight of the lit up green pharmacy sign made me happy.
Luckily, there was no one inside when I arrived and the pharmacist who usually takes care of me waved me inside.
There is now a plexiglass barrier up on the counter. The 3 pharmacists were wearing N95 masks as well as plastic face guards and, of course, gloves.
She then (the pharmacist) punched something into their computer and printed out the scripts.
It would be much more efficient if the doctors utilized the technology to send the scripts directly to the pharmacies, eliminating the middle step.
Such a cold, dreary day, very unusual for Italy at the end of March.
These streets are usually lined up and down with cars and pedestrians, delivery trucks, and people just enjoying some air and conversation.
Today, Café Centrale, open 24hours, is dark. Just about everything is locked up. Bleak, empty streets. I was surprised to catch a light out of the corner of my eye by the "arches"...it was Café Corso, but the café part was closed up and the coffee selling side was open. Coffee must be considered an essential item!! That made my husband happy since their coffee, we agree, is the best in town.
Saw two police officers pop out of their car and head down my street. ??? I had my pharmacy bag openly displayed. They were not interested in me, though, and were down the block at another home, which I find more than a bit concerning.
The numbers are suggesting a glimmer of hope but it really isn't definitive yet. It is far too soon to tell and the overall number shot up again today. Cases in Abruzzo are still rising, but we live in one of the LEAST affected areas of Italy.
I've read that for every day we stay at home, two or three lives may be saved. So I've scrounged around the NY Times (and WaPo) to augment my reading list as exponentially as this virus is growing. I'm really enjoying s book you might like, too, if you can get it; I buy for my Kindle, hoping we won't lose the grid anytime soon. It's Italian Folktales, by Italo Calvino. Although it's 800 pages long, each story is brief-- usually no more than five pages. This is the legacy of little old women spinning tales for the family hearth over three hundred years. Most come from Tuscany and Sicily; some are simply rustic, some are archetypal. Best taken a few at a time, this book will last a while! A great read.
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