A Southern California woman is giving others a look at what a mandatory lockdown might look like as she is quarantined in Italy. Mirella Presti-Silippo used to live in Temecula in Riverside County before moving back home to Italy. She has been under lockdown for weeks as the country faces one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the world.
Presti-Silippo moved back to Sicily to be with her fiancé about a year ago she says.
Her father is a successful restaurateur and they both thought the novel coronavirus outbreak wouldn’t affect Italy.
“Nobody ever took is serious because we thought it was only going to affect [China’s] population for some reason,” Presti-Silippo said.”
Complicating matters is the fact that Presti-Silippo is pregnant and in Italy your partner cannot be in the room for delivery due to COVID-19 pandemic - something being implemented or considered by hospitals worldwide. She said her fiancé will drop her off and she will go through the process by herself – obviously, not how she planned it.
“I thought I was going to have my mother working in the hospital next to me and my future husband but I guess I’ll be going through this path alone,” Presti-Silippo said.
She described how empty the streets and plazas are adding under the lockdown only one person can leave the house at a time. Her fiancé is the one who leaves from their home to go get groceries – and they are supposed to limit trips to twice a week.
One silver lining: Presti-Silippo said the lockdown has decreased pollution in Italy. And she has a word of advice for others:
“If everybody respects the rule of ‘stay home’ obviously we’ll get through it faster.”
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BACKGROUND
According to the CDC, coronavirus (COVID-19) is a family of viruses that is spreadable from person to person. Coronavirus is believed to have been first detected in a seafood market in Wuhan, China in December 2019. If someone is sick with coronavirus, the symptoms they may show include mild to severe respiratory illness, cough, and difficulty breathing.
Currently, there is no vaccine, however, the CDC suggests the following precautions, along with any other respiratory illness:
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
Stay home when you are sick.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
Wash your hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds.
The CDC also says facemasks should only be used by people who show symptoms of the virus. If you’re not sick, you do not have to wear a facemask.