It was Friday, March 13th. I did not go out of the house that day. Instead, I watched my phone explode with messages about the lockdown that would come into effect two days later in my country. The buzzing felt like a declaration of war. There were loud announcements outside and on TV. Many of my friends were rushing to the stores to stock up. Not necessarily on toilet paper, but on pasta and wine, without which quarantining in Moldova would become unimaginable. The cautious but relatively relaxed attitude of my fellow citizens, often diluted with cynical jokes — “just take a shot of vodka every day to disinfect your throat” — already set the tone for disaster.
Am I in the middle of a pandemic, or are we?
Am I in the middle of a pandemic, or are we?
Am I in the middle of a pandemic, or are we?
It was Friday, March 13th. I did not go out of the house that day. Instead, I watched my phone explode with messages about the lockdown that would come into effect two days later in my country. The buzzing felt like a declaration of war. There were loud announcements outside and on TV. Many of my friends were rushing to the stores to stock up. Not necessarily on toilet paper, but on pasta and wine, without which quarantining in Moldova would become unimaginable. The cautious but relatively relaxed attitude of my fellow citizens, often diluted with cynical jokes — “just take a shot of vodka every day to disinfect your throat” — already set the tone for disaster.