‘I feel safe:’ Italian near Venice details living under lockdown

Despite no contact with friends and little physical contact with the family he lives with, an Italian resident living near Venice says he feels completely safe amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy.

Infections in Italy have surpassed the 10,000 mark with 10,149 cases reported – more than anywhere else but China. The number of deaths from the virus also rose to 631, from 463 a day earlier, Italian Civil Protection authorities said on Tuesday.

Travel and social restrictions were extended across Italy Monday after an initial lockdown in Northern Italy where the outbreak first began.

Sebastiano Bazzichetto had been living in Canada for eight years before returning to Treviso, a city about 40 kilometres outside of Venice, in December to visit family. The coronavirus broke out soon after and he has been forced to remained in Northern Italy ever since.

Bazzichetto spoke to CityNews about what life has been like since the lockdown was put in place last week.

He lives with his sister, mother and grandmother where, for most of the day, they remain apart, avoiding hugs, kisses and even rubbing shoulders. He also doesn’t expect to see anybody else during the lockdown.

“The government really stressed the importance of avoiding contact with even friends,” said Bazzichetto. He also doesn’t expect to see his father for several days as he works in the health care sector.

The 31-year-old said while they can’t move freely outside of their town unless it’s for a serious reason, they are still able to go outside for about an hour at a time. He said supermarkets remain open and there is no shortage of food.

“We have power, we have internet, we have FaceTime. Classes have resumed online, we have food. The heating works.”

Bazzichetto says they do expect stores and shops that aren’t food-related to close soon.

Bazzichetto also praised the Italian government’s recent handling of the outbreak, saying he feels completely safe.

“I know that I can’t be infected and if I [was even] symptomatic and positive, I can’t infect anyone else outside of the walls of my home.”

“It’s a matter of responding in a smart and wise way to this major public health crisis,” Bazzichetto added.

When asked if he ever thought about leaving the country after the outbreak began to spread, Bazzichetto said, “Absolutely not.”

With files from The Associated Press