If you have read my previous blog posts, you will know that restaurants aren’t even open before 7 pm at the earliest, so this effectively eliminates dinnertime dining in all of Milan. And no aperitivis!
There was nary a ‘buongiorno’ as we walked to the store. The scene by the Galleria and the Duomo was also eerily quiet, although the pigeons had not received the Confinement Notice, and apparently neither did the folks trying to sell us pigeon food or flowers.
People are walking with purpose and furrowed brows, if there are any people outside at all. And then at the grocery store the managers were staggering the entrances of shoppers presumably to try to comply with the vague rule that people are to stay one meter away from one another. But of course once you were in the store itself, there were no limits and people were standing side by side to pick up meat and produce.
The Pigeons Outnumber the People!
I took a few photos to show the carts and people lining up before being allowed to enter the produce section, and once inside, to show the managers restricting entries, but I got a strong scolding from one of the store managers who walked over and told me that photos were not allowed. Kevin was not near me so I had to decipher the Italian words on my own. I got it- no photos. I asked why in Italian and I think the answer I got was that it was against the supermarket rules. Mind you, we have taken plenty of photos in this supermarket before (of the empty pasta aisles, of the fruits and vegetables, etc.), but I think everyone is on edge and adhering to whatever definition of order they feel they can control. At the checkout lane, Kevin tried to walk past the couple who were still paying their bill (to get our cart so that we could pack our food for the trip home) and the cashier said Kevin wasn’t allowed to pass by the adjacent customers, as we would not be adhering to the 1 meter distance rule between people. The cashier apologized many times, but we understand. The rules have been implemented supposedly without input from the region or the mayors of the affected towns and cities and no one is happy about the apparent lack of notice before confinement was implemented. There are signs on the trams that state that people must be 1 meter apart. How is that going to work? As a lawyer, I have a million questions. I will post here, on twitter (@TeriMcMahonteri) and on Facebook and instagram (terimcmahon1) to keep you posted.
