Kiwi family caught in European coronavirus epicentre
Former All Black in lockdown in Italy says wearing masks and gloves to the local supermarket are just some of the precautions that must be taken. Senior rugby writer Richard Knowler reports.
Mowing the lawns, gardening and painting have been among ex-All Black Craig Green’s priorities since going into lockdown in Italy.
Green and his wife, along with their two daughters, have housed themselves in the family property on the outskirts of the beautiful city of Treviso in northern Italy since the country’s population went into self-isolation mode in a bid to counter the coronavirus pandemic.
Italy has overtaken China as the country with the most coronavirus deaths, with about 3400 dead as of yesterday. Strict lockdown measures were introduced on March 9.
For Green, who works as a rugby coach and has spent the majority of his life in Italy since leaving New Zealand after playing 20 tests for the All Blacks between 1983-87, the daily routine of going to work and spending time with colleagues and friends has been replaced by chores around the house and section.
Green knows he and his family are fortunate; they have a standalone property, which means they can minimise the risk of being in close contact with other people and enjoy each other’s company in their garden and fire up the BBQ as the days get warmer.
Whereas families living in apartments may feel claustrophobic and stressed about being cooped up, Green, 58, is grateful for the space.
‘‘To be quite honest, we are quite relaxed about it,’’ Green said.
‘‘We are enjoying our time together at home, we are not worried. But we are not being silly, we are not going out. We are sticking to the rules.
‘‘Sometimes you don’t get a lot of time together [as a family] and because it’s also coming into spring, it’s a lovely time of the year, we are just trying to enjoy being with each other.’’
Prior to the pandemic Green’s working week revolved around preparing his club’s team to play each weekend, but the days of interacting with players and staff members are over for now.
There’s no need to rush out of bed to get to work, because Italy has largely shut itself down.
‘‘In regards to day to day life it’s a little bit surreal,’’ he says.
‘‘It feels like everyday is a Sunday because you get up late, there is no reason to get up early, and there is no-one around.
‘‘And there is no traffic, there are no cars around. Everything is really quiet. It is a little bit weird, really.’’
Treviso is located near the northeast coast of Italy, about 300km from the capital city Milan in the heart of the Lombardy area which has been hit hardest by the virus.
The Green family has heeded the government’s advice and only ventures out of the home to get food supplies from the supermarket.
If they talk to their neighbours they do so from a distance of about 5m.
‘‘We are still doing plenty of jobs around the house,’’ Green noted.
‘‘There is still plenty to do; mow the lawns, do the garden and paint the walls. All the sorts of things you would usually do later in the summer time are getting done now.’’
To help kill the time he had watched Super Rugby, but now that, like the majority of sports competitions around the globe, has ground to a halt.
Green has been unaware of customers losing the plot in supermarkets and stripping the shelves of consumer goods, saying people have been orderly and respectful.
While smaller shops have been shut down, it’s Green’s understanding that the supermarkets aren’t running short of products.
‘‘There is no lack of food. They have security guards on the doors, so there are not too many people in there at any one time. You actually wait outside to get in.
‘‘So the trip has become a twohour expedition, instead of just the one. The only time we go out is to the supermarket, so the risk of catching it [the virus] is very low. We just use masks and gloves when we go and make sure that before and after we wash our hands. And at the supermarket there are areas to do that.’’
The government has asked people to not go for walks, runs or ride their bikes in public areas.
When he last ventured out, Green said there were police patrolling the streets and there were roadblocks set up to stop motorists and question them about their intentions.
‘‘If you go out and do anything, you have to have a certificate; a written declaration by yourself saying you are not quarantined, and exactly why you are out on the road.
‘‘Are you going to the supermarket to get some food, are you going to work? And if you are, where is your workplace?
‘‘And quite often, I have heard the police will actually ring your workplace to make sure you are going there.’’
Unlike families living in apartments, the Greens have been able to utilise their house and section to maintain their exercise routines.
One of his daughters is a professional volleyball player, and does ball work with her mum outside. But, Green admits, it isn’t ideal.
He can’t see rugby, or any other sports for that matter, restarting anytime soon.
‘‘There would have to be a huge change over the next few weeks for that to happen. I can’t see it happening quickly, for us to be able to get our season back unfortunately.’’
For now, he and his wife are enjoying the time they are spending with their daughters. The plan is to continue to self-isolate until the authorities say they can do otherwise.
His message to his fellow New Zealanders is to ‘‘don’t underestimate it’’.
‘‘The idea of washing hands, and having little contact with people is just common sense and are things that should be done.’’
‘‘We are not worried. But we are not being silly, we are not going out. We are sticking to the rules.’’ Craig Green on family life in Treviso, Italy