Greetings from the lockdown, which lockdown it is not

Greetings from the lockdown, which lockdown it is not.

No doubt the Italian government’s announcement on Saturday 7 March that it was working on a new measure to drastically reduce non-essential people circulation in a broad territory of the nation’s wealthy and industrialised north came as a shock to many. The media has reported that dozens of Milan residents, concerned about being locked out of their hometowns in the south, rushed to catch the last train, causing some commotion at the train stations. But that was just about it in terms of irrational behaviour. When eventually the government’s new decree was made public, it was immediately apparent that lockdown it was not. Stringent measures were adopted to contain the spreading of the virus, including the shutting down of schools, museums, cinemas, bars and – at the weekend – even malls. All type of gathering in the area was prohibited, to the point that circulation within the concerned territory was basically only allowed for professional reasons or personal emergencies. Smart/agile working (i.e. working from home) has been strongly encouraged, but office attendance may be required when necessary. In other words, business is (almost) as usual. Offices, factories, even restaurants (provided that stringent security measures are complied with) will be open. The proud and hard-working northern Italians (and the millions of southern Italians working in the north) will soldier on at this challenging time and keep up the good work. Paradigma – Law & Strategy will stay fully operational, striving to support its clients on how to weather the coronavirus challenge.