THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. Monday, March 16, 2020 |A
More ambitious versions in-
clude Facebook “streaming
parties,” where a live DJ en-
tertains virtual participants
who post comments during
the event.
In the northern town of
Codogno, where Italy’s epi-
demic first erupted, residents
have set up a Facebook page
called “Make Fun of Coronavi-
rus in Codogno,” where they
share lighthearted content in-
cluding homemade exercise
videos, satirical images of
public figures and pictures of
themselves simply laughing or
smiling.
Although Italy’s economy is
virtually at a standstill, pro-
duction of memes is flourish-
ing. One has men feeling vin-
dicated that mild flu
symptoms can be highly dan-
gerous, a play on what is
known as “man flu,” a satirical
term used to describe menwho might get a bit dramatic
when they catch a minor cold.
Another meme says the latest
Lonely Planet travel guide is
called “Home.”
Some shun online enter-
tainment, a special challenge
when it comes to keeping chil-
dren occupied.
“When I’m around, the iPad
goes away,” said Roberta Bal-
mas, of the northeastern city
of Padua, who has been taking
care of her two grandchildren,
ages 2 and 5, every weekday in
the absence of their parents,
who were still going to work
on Friday. Ms. Balmas says the
experience has been tiring but
has led to greater closeness to
her young charges.
“The little one runs up and
kisses and hugs me now,” she
says. “Of course, I shouldn’t let
her, with the virus, but you can’t
deny children kisses and hugs.
They wouldn’t understand.”People in Naples who are under quarantine from the coronavirus on Friday sang together from
their balconies, above, to maintain their spirits, while in Milan one woman played her accordion.THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
ROME—“But the sky is al-
ways bluer,” Italian Rino
Gaetano sang in the title
words of his 1975 hit, a now-
classic hymn to hope amid ad-
versity.
As they face Europe’s worst
outbreak of the new coronavi-
rus, Italians across the country
sang the song from their win-
dows on Sunday, in a shared
gesture of solidarity and cour-
age among citizens in isolation.
Italians, under quarantine
at home for a week across the
whole country, and since late
February in the northern areas
hit worst by the virus, have
been cheering themselves and
each other up.
Many have hung posters
from their windows bearing
the image of a rainbow and
the words “andrà tutto bene,”
“everything will be fine,”
which has become the unoffi-
cial national motto.
They have also been hold-
ing improvised “balcony par-
ties,” at which they sing to-
gether from their windows.
The repertoire typically ranges
from regional folk songs to the
latest pop hits. Videos on so-
cial media allow residents of
less-lively neighborhoods to
participate vicariously.
The singing struck a more
serious note of patriotism
when, in an effort coordinated
via social media, citizens na-
tionwide joined in a rendition
of the national anthem on Fri-
day evening.
Thenextday,atnoon,Ital-
ians returned to their balco-
nies and windows to applaud
health-care workers combat-
ing the pandemic. The gesture
drew international attention
and inspired some people
across Spain to follow suit on
Saturday evening.
Some participants in such
virtual gatherings share live
images of themselves dancing.
BYFRANCISX.ROCCA
Isolated Italians Sound Hopeful Notes
Largely kept to homes
as virus spreads, many
voice optimism, often
in collective fashion
CIRO FUSCO/EPA/SHUTTERSTOCKPIAGGESI/FOTOGRAMMA/ROPI/ZUMA PRESS