This archive report was first published on 20 May 2020.
On May 20, 2020, Codogno, Italy, became the first town in Europe to be placed in lockdown due to the coronavirus. Now, as the country slowly emerges from a nationwide shutdown, life in Codogno is gradually returning to normal.
Locals, still wearing masks, can be seen whizzing around on bicycles, making the most of the lifting of the lockdown. Shops, restaurants, cafes, and hairdressers across Italy were allowed to open from Monday, marking a significant step towards normalcy.
Young Italians were spotted enjoying iced coffees in the town's main square, while bells summoned people to mass at the large red-brick church. The atmosphere was a far cry from the chaos that gripped the town in February, when a 38-year-old man, Mattia Maestri, was diagnosed with COVID-19.
Maestri, who had not traveled and still doesn't know where he contracted the virus, was the first case in Italy. His condition deteriorated, and he was tested for COVID-19 two days later, which came back positive. His pregnant wife also had the virus, and his father would later die from it.
As the town slowly heals, residents are worried that the easing of strict anti-infection measures will allow the virus to begin to spread again. "Everyone's afraid of having to go back into lockdown, of having to fear contact between people, of it all happening again," said bartender Laura Sbardi, 25.
Shopkeeper Cesare Gambazza echoed her concerns, saying, "They think it's finished, but we don't know that." Fanny Zafferri, a 54-year-old nurse who worked with coronavirus patients earlier in the pandemic, recalled the "chaotic, scary" first days at the hospital and fears those days may return.
