A Message from a Friend
Tomorrow, my office will finally close until further notice. We received a communication saying that closure is planned until 30th of April but at this point in time, with the number of cases on the rise in this country and Coronavirus raging everywhere, no-one really know when we will re-open. Last time I went to the office it was on last Friday, and it looked like this.
It was unnatural to see all these empty chairs and the space was so silent. I was caught thinking that it is only when we lose them that we realize how much the interactions that happen in the office shape our everyday life.
For about one month until today, my company has adopted systematic temperature checks at the office twice a day. Also, the workforce was divided in two teams and only members of the same team were allowed to access the office at any given time. The idea was that if one of the teams was quarantined because one of its members tested positive, the other team could have continued coming the the office if needed. Members of different teams were not allowed to meet inside or outside of the office and this last restriction will remain in place even after the office has shut down. Last Friday, I found on my desk this message from Shirlynn, a friend who I am not allowed to meet.
The day I will meet Shirlynn again, it will probably mean that the office is open again and COVID-19 is starting to fade away.
The battle against COVID-19 on Italian front line is far from over. Number of daily cases spiked up yesterday, and although the trend remains positive, the few days to come will be critical and country lock-down will remain in place until further notice. The virus spread is accelerating in other countries that seem to be replicating Italian curve with a few days of delay. Although observing daily trends is fundamental to understand what is happening, we will only know in a couple weeks from now which country will have managed to slow down or contain Coronavirus, if any.
Living Colors Studio 