Italy is leading Europe in the battle against the Coronavirus, but are Italians in London happy with the lockdown procedures in the United Kingdom?
On the 8th of March 2020, the Italian Government has announced and put in place an immediate national lockdown. All unnecessary businesses were to stay closed until further notice, and people to stay indoors.
“I arrived in London at the end of January to start my internship in a translation agency, but when the news of the Italian national lockdown arrived I felt very unsafe to stay as my conditions in the UK were very precarious,” said Chiara Terzaroli, 22, Italian graduated in translation and interpreting.
The coronavirus outbreak has been a worldwide unexpected health crisis, which, unfortunately, has quickly led many countries towards an economic crisis as well.
According to the Financial Times, millions of jobs are at risk in sectors exposed to the UK’s shutdown such as the leisure and hospitality with more than 200,000 people risking unemployment.
Giorgia Di Blasio first arrived in London on the 20th of December 2019, she found a job as a waitress in a restaurant in Soho called Vapiano.
“When the coronavirus pandemic started to become a real problem, I have noticed that while my country was taking immediate precautions and people were suffering life in London was still the same.
For this reason, I decided to go back and be closer to my family and friends,” she said talking about the British government decision to delay a national lockdown.
A YouGov survey has found out that the 5% of people questioned have lost their job due the pandemic, while the 9% have seen a reduction on their wages as reported by the Evening Standard on the 24th March 2020.
“Last but not least, in a delicate situation like this one I needed to be close to my family. I am planning to come back to London sooner or later, this city has given so much to me, in such a short time, I just feel I’m not done there yet,” added Terzaroli about her decision to go back to her country.
Ilaria Mastio, 22, journalism student at London Metropolitan and shop assistant in an Adidas shop in Oxford Street has been living in London for two years. She decided to stay during the pandemic to not put her family health in danger.
Mastio said, “I don’t think the British government handled the situation appropriately. I remember when Italy started the lockdown, and everyone thought they were exaggerating. I guess it all started too late in the UK, and not everyone is following the rules. I see people going around without a mask-like nothing is going on.”
By the time of writing this article airline company, Alitalia has operated at least a daily ‘emergency’ flight from London Heathrow to Roma Fiumicino, and more of 5,000 Italians in the UK went back to Italy in the first two weeks of lockdown according to Italian newspaper Il Messaggero.
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