HARTFORD, Conn. — Many experts say the United States is just 10 days behind Italy in the spread of the coronavirus.
While Governor Lamont has not issued mandatory stay-at-home orders, Italians are on lockdown.
"It’s just a strange situation," says Simone Sabatti, who lives in Brescia, Italy, a city near Milan. He has been quarantined in his home, like all Italians, since March 9.
"I work a lot of hours, so for me it’s not very annoying," says Sabatti. "But for a lot of people that have a small house or they live in a not good situation, it’s harder."
As of 12pm EST on March 24, more than 6,000 people died from coronavirus in Italy. Nearly 64,000 have contracted COVID-19.
"In the hospital it’s not good for everyone who works in hospitals," says Sabatti. "But for the rest of the people it is quiet because everyone is at home because there is the quarantine. "So, we are not allowed to go outside except for buying food."
In the South in Pontelatone, near Naples, streets are empty. People are only allowed to go into stores for limited amounts of time and it’s only one at a time. A video from Mena Scirocco shows the measures Italians are taking before going into a store.
"It means that it’s a good situation because no one is going outside because you’re limiting the spread of the virus and it’s the best thing we can do at the moment," says Sabatti.
Italians are stressing that it’s important to keep a positive mindset. Videos popping up all over instagram show people singing and dancing their way through quarantine.
"You don’t have to underestimate this thing," says Sabatti. "And try to stay positive and help each other in the best way at a distance for now because it’s the only thing you can do."
People in Connecticut even catching on— FOX61’s Gaby Molina caught one Italian man in Glastonbury singing to his wife through the window of her nursing home on their anniversary. It was shared on an Italian Instagram page Tuesday.
"It’s a good thing that technology is helping us to be united," says Sabatti.