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Bergamo placed itself on the world map as the epicenter of corona infection in Italy. Now, more than six months later, the situation is beginning to return to normal. We have visited the most affected area.
BERGAMO (Nettavisen): It is February 19, 2020 and everyone is talking about the coronavirus that is on its way to Europe. In Bergamo, a beautiful city at the foot of the Alps, football is still the most important thing at the moment.
Atalanta, the pride of the city, will play the Champions League against Spanish Valencia, at the mighty San Siro in Milan. The home team expects a place in the quarterfinals, for the first time in history.
Inside the stadium there are 44,000 cheering fans. In the bars and pubs of Bergamo, there is a “happy hour” with happy people sitting together and toasting as the match progresses. The goals are flowing, and no one is thinking about the crown right now.
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The Togni family from Bergamo loves football, and especially Atalanta. Andrea (14), Giuli (17) and their mother Giovanna (48) shout hoarsely in the stands this magical night, while Father Paolo (54) sits at home in the living room and looks excited.
It is true that there are only three infected corona in Italy, officially. No one can imagine that this will be a terrible year.
Italian immunologist Francesco Le Foche believes that the Atalanta fight may have helped spread the infection more quickly.
– There are probably several “triggers” and catalysts behind the differential. The Atalanta-Valencia match may well be one of them, Le Foche told Corriere Dello Sport a month after the match.
Andrea and her mom Giovanna were in Manchester last fall and watched their favorite team play Manchester City.
Photo: Private
He believes that many went to battle, although they did not feel completely healthy. No one would want to miss out on the historical experience.
– With the decision in hand, it was crazy that that game was played. There were too many things still unknown, such as the enormous spread of the virus. Today would be unthinkable, said Le Foche.
He was quite right. Hundreds of thousands die in Europe. In Italy alone, there are 35,000 dead. It is precisely the small Bergamo of Lombardy that will be the epicenter of the coronary nightmare.
Little comfort in hard times
Andrea was even in the Milan match and she is a great fan. The fourteen-year-old is in every home game and has enjoyed the efforts of the favorite team.
– The season has been very fun and they have played very well. The players work and give everything they have, and that’s something that I love to see. They give us a lot of joy and emotions, he says.
However, it’s not just about smiles and laughter from the young Italian. He also talks about hard times and what it was like to be a young man in the midst of it all.
– It was horrible. We were isolated at home for several weeks and could not see or meet anyone other than family. It was scary, we heard about more and more people getting infected and passing away. The city is not that big and we met many who lost someone close, says Andrea.
Lost family members
Father Paolo is clearly marked.
With tears in his eyes, he describes the worst three months of his life. He is so moved that it is difficult for him to speak.
– I lost my two uncles and a cousin. They were three months of black period. It was winter, the days were long and there was little sun. Everything felt dark. We were isolated and always within the four walls of the house. Ambulances circulated the streets day and night. Sirens were heard all the time. It was cruel.
But now, after a summer in which infection rates have been brought under control, Paolo and the rest of the Togni family look happy and satisfied.
– Now it is beautiful, we are all happy that the dark period is over. We value each other more and freedom more and look to the future, says Papa Paolo.
Outside the most affected hospital in Bergamo, there is a heartbreaking mural that reads: “To all… Thank you!
Photo: Sverre Nodland
Not worried about the second wave
Since the end of May, infection rates in Italy have been low and stable. Therefore, tourism increased in late summer for both foreign tourists and Italians on vacation in their own beautiful country.
This autumn, the number of infected people has gradually increased in Italy. But despite the increase in the past three weeks, the Italian is not worried about a second wave of the highly contagious virus.
The 54-year-old believes that the rest of the inhabitants of Bergamo agree with him.
– We are not afraid of the future, no. I feel that everyone is calm, no one is afraid. Hospitals have greater capacity and we have much more knowledge about the virus. And if you also check the numbers for our neighboring countries, France and Spain, it is much higher there. Here in Italy we have 1000-1500 cases. We can cope well with whatever comes next, although I don’t think the second wave is anything special.
In addition, it describes the life of the city around the square in which we find ourselves.
– People are happy. Yes, we have masks, we maintain social distance, and we disinfect our hands. But we can walk the streets and squares. We can eat in a restaurant and enjoy each other’s company. There is an energetic atmosphere in the city, where the inhabitants share a kind of community. We have gained something together.
On August 28, a poll showed that 74 percent of Italy’s population is satisfied with the way the country’s authorities handled the crisis. Paolo himself is one of the 74 percent and believes that the country could not have done otherwise.
The priest Marco Bergamelli must wear a mask at work. He has never had more funerals than in the last six months.
Photo: Piero Cruciatti (AFP)
Waiting to start school
Italian schools are already opening on Monday, having been closed since February. Father Paolo feels comfortable sending the children to school.
– It feels normal and correct to reopen schools. Younger people are less likely to contract the virus and transmit the infection.
Paolo’s daughter Guili (18) is in her last year of high school and is clearly ready for the start of the new school year.
– I have missed a lot of school, we have not been to school since February. It is a long time. Also, it is my last year at school, before starting university, so it is important for me to start. I really want to see my friends too. I was a little anxious about opening the schools before the summer, but now I don’t highlight anything. I feel like he’s calm and we’re in control.
Little brother Andrea is also eager to start school, but says it will be quite different at school now.
– We have a series of new rules that we must follow. It can be a bit challenging, but we have to do it. We have to sit at a distance from each other, we cannot go to the bathroom during class, we also have to be in the same classroom with the same class all the time. Of course we also have to wear a lot of antibac and wear a mask to and from school.
Atalanta’s Ruslan Malinovskyi and his teammates have become mascots in Europe after brilliant performances.
Photo: Miguel Medina (AFP)
– It’s strange to play football again
While school starts on Monday, Andrea was finally able to start playing soccer with her friends three weeks ago.
– It was incredibly fun to play football again. It was also very strange, as we have not trained or played together since February. A week ago we played our first game. It was really strange, smiles the young Italian.
Older sister Giuli, on the other hand, trains in the gym and has been doing it for a while. The gyms have been open since June, but with strict measures.
At first we couldn’t use the wardrobes and we even had to train with the masks. Now, we can happily shower and use the locker rooms, but still wear the masks in the locker room and to and from the gym. We must also keep our distance and disinfect all appliances.
Approaching normal
Almost seven months after the fateful Atalanta game in Milan, life for the Togni family begins to become more normal. Gyms are open, school starts around the corner, and soccer is on. For both adults and children.
The Champions League was completed this summer, without an audience. Serie A starts now, with a safe environment around the matches. The lives of the players, the club’s people, the fans or anyone else should not be risked, as was done this winter. And in Bergamo, the Togni family is ready to cheer for Atalanta, the club in their beating hearts for a new season. They hope that it is the achievements in the field that are focused now, not the drama in the hospitals.
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