MonoMonday Challenge 318 - Looking Down

alt title: Covid-19

I love all the stickers on this big case.  It was also strangely wrapped with a turn or two of yellow tape, which made it look very suspect.  The owner is probably a photographer having been cut short the Milano Fashion Week festivities and trying to get out of town.

The kids and I made a walk over to CC's school to pick up books.  All the schools in Northern Italy are closed for the week due to the Coronavirus outbreak. An interesting start to the week as more and more stores, offices and other public venues are shuttering to weather out the outbreak.  Any kind of public gathering has been barred - sports events, theater, bars and restaurants, and even church services.  I am trying to remain calm, but a better part of my hypochondriac side is fighting to make itself known.  It seems that Italy is tackling the outbreak in good stride and hopefully caught in time.  Worrisome that they haven't identified the patient zero and that the Lombardy patient 1 and Veneto patient 1 don't seem to have any connection.  From what I have learned, it sounds like this strain of virus may become fixed in the human population and represent itself each year...  oh bother.

I went ahead and posted a few extras.  Face masks sold out in seconds when the first case was announced Friday.  The effectiveness against viruses seem to be marginal if not the proper type.  Obviously those are also less breathable and I saw a cyclist take off his glasses after fogging them up.  Most people were without any kind of protection - us included.  It was a beautiful morning.  So interesting to see the contrast of people with masks and others without.  btw, the owner of the trolley had a mask.  Milan so far has had 3-4 cases, while the majority of cases are a group of communities to the south-east.  Let's pray that the outbreak is contained and life goes on.  The next few days will be nerve racking.