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In San Fiorano, a small town in northern Italy, four generations of the same family are taking their temperatures and watching the news, waiting for word about the coronavirus.
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Their town, along with 10 others, is on lockdown for at least two weeks. Military police stand guard at the exits. No one is allowed in or out, unless they have a special permission. Anyone who tries to leave could face up to three months in prison, according to Reuters.
Italy has become a hotspot for the coronavirus. On Friday there were only three confirmed cases. By Wednesday, 12 people had died from it, and there were 322 confirmed cases. The lockdown is to try and stop the coronavirus from spreading further.
Local primary school teacher Marzio Toniolo documented for Reuters what it's like inside San Fiorano, where mass is cancelled and bars are closed. Along with counting down the days, monitoring temperatures, and stockpiling food, he said it's been difficult for some to comprehend what's happening.
He described to Reuters the difficulty of explaining to his elderly grandfather why the bar was closed. In the end, he relented to calling the coronavirus, "the Spanish flu," since it was a common term used as a catch-all to describe past pandemics.
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Here's what life looks like in San Fiorano, Italy, under coronavirus lockdown.
In Italy, where three confirmed coronavirus cases on Friday leapt to more than 370 cases by Wednesday, the government is trying to stop the coronavirus from spreading. Cities like Milan and Venice have emptied out.
San Fiorano, a small town 44 miles from Milan, is one of the 11 towns now cut off from the world. It's in Lombardy, which, along with Veneto, is one of the worst hit regions in Italy.
This road into town looks empty, but far in the distance, military police are standing guard. Anyone who attempts to leave without permission could go to prison for three months, or be fined about $223.
Getting in or out requires special permission, but one local teacher named Marzio Toniolo is already on the inside, since he lives there. He documented what life is like under lockdown for Reuters.
In the end he said, "We told my grandpa 100 times that the bar is not open because of the Spanish flu, to make him understand." This is because other pandemics over the years have been colloquially referred to as the Spanish flu.
Inside the town, restrictions aren't too intense. People can go outside as they please. They can take dogs for walks, go for bikes ride, or just get some fresh air.
Traffic is light. This single ambulance drove down an empty street.
The streets look entirely empty at night.
Posters have been put up around town to inform the residents that mass is canceled. The town's cemetery is closed, too.
Public buildings are also closed. Here, three masked boys sit in front of a poster explaining the closure. They don't appear to have much to do.
Others made the most of the lockdown by playing basketball. But later there might not be any basketball. Chiara Zuddas, who is also a teacher, told Reuters she planned on holding an English exam with her students next week, via WhatsApp.
The pharmacy is still open. To ensure people had access to medication, the mayor paid for this chemist's accommodation. She stayed in town to help, instead of traveling with her family to Brescia.
They're also paying close attention to what's going on outside San Fiorano. The Toniolo family's generational difference can be seen in the way they consume news. Here, Marzio reads the latest update on his phone.
