Just stay home, and everything will be fine

I am Italian. I live in Hoboken. I am a journalist. So please, dear fellow Hobokenites, take my words seriously. The way Italy is dealing with the virus is actually the only one that should be adopted, and this is not a question of national pride. The COVID-19 is a sneaky virus, easy to transmit and potentially very dangerous. We all hope scientists will soon find a cure or a vaccine, but until then it's up to us and to our behaviors.

When they say we must stay home we really must, even we don't have any symptoms. So far, this is the only way to avoid contagion for ourselves and to preserve our communities. So, just get out to go to the groceries, to the pharmacy or to walk the dog if you have one. In Italy any other kind of shop, pub or restaurant has been temporarily shut down to preserve workers' health and to discourage people from going out. Work from home if you can. Keep kids and teens at home (that's why schools and playgrounds have been wisely closed, I know it's hard, especially now that spring is blooming: I've got a teen son too...). Trust me, if we abide these simple rules for a couple of weeks Hoboken will be able to contain the spread of the virus.

I'm aware it could sound weird, but these apparently anti-social habits are the most caring and responsible we can adopt. Good for us, we are now much more connected than in the past: we'll just be isolated for a while, but not alone. And remember: when we feel too lonely, we can go to the window and sing - or play - along with our neighbors, just as it's happening in Italy almost every day.