My dear traveler and Sicily lover,
With this post, I wanted to provide you information about the current outbreak of coronavirus in my beloved Sicily. As a Sicilian, I wrote this article with a deep sorrow in my heart. I never lived a situation like this. I think none has ever lived all this.
Until the end of February, my island was regarded as a free corona virus zone and only a few days after, it has been declared as a locked place as whole Italy. Before replying to your questions about coronavirus in Sicily, I want to do a small travel back into time, to help you understand how Sicily fell into the grip of the coronavirus disease.
Situation of coronavirus in Italy and Sicily
In Italy, coronavirus, whose name is Covid-19, was isolated at the end of January at Spallanzani hospital, in Rome, because of a Chinese couple coming from the hotbed in Wuhan. The first corona virus outbreak occurred in the village of Codogno, in Nothern Italy, in February, because of the return of an Italian entrepreneur from China. When the village of Codogno was put on quarantine, many South Italian people, who worked in the North, returned to the South of Italy, including Sicily. They were 7,000!
The first quarantine for coronavirus in Sicily regarded a Sicilian teacher who came back to its birthtown in the province of Palermo at the end of February. While the entire North of Italy went turned into a hotbed and locked to prevent the spread of Coronavirus, Sicily was still considered safe. In the early days of March, the situation changed utterly. Three government decrees, issued at a short time lapse, one after the other, turned the entire Italy, and my Sicily, into a single hotbed, locked as a protected area, where none can move from and to Italy, Sicily and Sardinia.
Coronavirus cases was rising in Italy, Sicily and in the world, while I was writing this post. Coronavirus is a pandemic by now and it is impossible to detect the culprits of this global disease.
Current situation for coronavirus in Sicily
Currently, in Sicily, every place which can become crowded has been closed until May, 3, 2020. Those are museums, bars, restaurants, churches, schools, wellness centers, local markets, hairdresser shops and all unnecessary shops. Only pharmacies and grocery stores open in Sicily, at the moment. Every people who moves must to exhibit a self-certification or document to explain the reasons of the moving.
Sicilian streets are desert even when there is a sunny day. Their appearance is unreal. Stillness is unreal. All Sicilians and Italians are forbidden to leave their homes.
They can only go out for reasons of necessity (go to grocery or to pharmacy). Sometimes, I only walk out to go grocery shopping, but I am scared every time I go. People wear protection masks, when they go to the grocery store. The few people you can see down the desert of the streets have these protection masks.
The food suppliers wear suit and protection mask to deliver foods to the supermarkets, they look like spacemen. Sometimes, I think coronavirus came from Space and afterward in the world and in my Sicily. Unfortunately, that is a virus of this world. Unfortunately, all the beautiful things I discussed about my wonderful island have been locked to stop the spread of the virus.
Beautiful local markets with Sicily gadgets and local products have been closed! There aren’t musicians who play in the lovely squares in Catania. Everything is like a void picture dominated only by emptiness and fear. I am sure this nightmare will come to an end sooner or later. I was also very saddened about the thoughts of some people who wrote me that they erased Sicily from their travel list. I can only reply to them that they must erase all of the countries of the world, as well, because coronavirus is a pandemic.
Is it safe travel to Sicily in the time of corona virus?
My dear traveler, after the things said above, no, it is not safe travel to Sicily while there is an outbreak. But it is only for the time of the viral infection. Currently, you mustn’t move, neither in Sicily, nor in the other places in the world. Stay at home, stay protected!
How is public transportation in Sicily with corona virus?
Italy Government established that public transportation must work regularly, but, in Sicily, many transportation services are reducing their rides and operational buses are remaining with no passengers!
Can you take a flight if you are in Sicily during the coronavirus outbreak?
No, Sicily is locked currently and if you are there you can’t move to return to your Country. You must wait for the end of this pandemic. I know that someone wants to visit Cefalù, but this village is in Sicily! Hence, you can’t move there to visit it, because it is forbidden these days!
Every stern initiative has been undertaken only to protect your health.
What you must do if you have coronavirus symptoms?
If you feel bad, you mustn’t go to the hospital in Sicily, you must call the emergency phone number 112, while, if you need only more information, you can reach the Sicilian Government on this toll-free number: 800458787.
The spread of Corona virus in Sicily
When I wrote this post, on March, 12, 2020, coronavirus cases were over 100 in Sicily.
115 patients, 33 hospitalized (five in intensive care), 78 in quarantine, two healed and two dead.
The local map of the spread of corona virus in the Sicilian provinces was: Agrigento 17; Caltanissetta 2; Catania 49; Enna 1; Messina 9; Palermo 26; Ragusa 2; Siracusa 5; Trapani 4. However, the cases was still rising and reaching the 32 in Palermo and 69 in Catania on March, 14, 2020.
For updated info about coronavirus in Sicily, you can see this website: www.siciliacoronavirus.it.
The entire Sicily is locked at home, currently; there is the curfew, out there.
Police and Italian army control any movement. Homestay is an obligation and those who disobey will get fined or jailed!
That is my Sicily in the time of coronavirus. It seems a horror movie, but, unfortunately, it is the sad reality.
I pray all this lasts short and that my Sicily and the entire world come back to shine better than before.
Photocredits in order of appearance:
Catania.liveuniversity.it
Palermo.gds.it
Mediagol.it
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Rosalba Mancuso is a freelance journalist born in Sicily. Passionate about her loved island and with extensive writing experience, Rosalba worked as a contributor for the main Sicily’s newspapers and as a bilingual Italian – English writer. Thanks to her skills, she also founded four websites in English. On Sicilyonweb, Rosalba tells every corner of her beloved Sicily. Furthermore, she writes this blog thanks to your help. Rosalba, in fact, earns a small commission, with no cost for you, when you book your travel or buy products through the affiliate widgets or links you find in her posts.
Thank you for your timely article . My grandparents and great grandparents were born I Riesi n Caltanasetta . My wife and I enjoyed many wonderful people and places on our visit last September to your beautiful island . We hope to come back this September With more of our family. We feel a great sympathy for the sick of Sicily and of the world. I am glad that I found your post . There are no coincidences in life . Stay well . John Robinson
Hi John, thank you for letting me feel your vicinity in these challenging days.
I hope everybody will come back to visit the wonderful places in the world very soon.
Stay protected you and your family, too.
This was very interesting information, thank you .
We hope to visit your beautiful island in May ,from the UK, God willing.
Stay safe.
Thank you Susan for finding this information helpful.
I felt compelled to inform people about all is happening in Sicily these weeks.
I really hope you can visit my island in May, because it means the coronavirus outbreak will be overcome.
Currently, it is impossible to do predictions.
Stay safe you, too!
Thank you for the information. My son and I had hoped to visit the land of my grandparents next month, but I think that will not be possible. We will reschedule for later in the year. God bless you all and keep you safe.
Thanks Johanna for finding helpful my information about this sad matter.
Yes, it is better reschedule everything.
I did that, as well.
However, I really hope this lockdown will end soon. To come back to live again…
Stay safe you, too, in the meanwhile.