Grazia is Sicilian, she has lived in England for two years and works as a social media manager. When she talks about London, her London, her eyes shine. This morning we asked her some questions to understand what it feels like to see your adoptive city reborn after 4 months of forced closure.
Hi Grazia, yesterday in London everything reopened, no new lockdown on the horizon. What is the first sensation you experienced?
Hello! In fact, the first sensation felt was one of seeming normality. Here people are not obliged to wear masks in open places and seeing mouths, noses and teeth was like a return to the past.
Symbol of the reopening are the pubs and restaurants that are full until May. Have you booked a seat for a beer with your friends?
Alas, I haven't booked yet. I am trying, but it is really difficult, the seats are reduced because only the outdoor pubs have the right to be open. But I have a plan: to stand in front of a place that doesn't accept reservations and wait for my turn. They let you stay for only an hour, at most an hour and a half to allow everyone to sit down.
Has your enthusiasm flattened out after 4 months of uninterrupted lockdown or did the reopening bring you an irrepressible desire to go out?
What flattened my mood was seeing a city like London dull, deserted, inactive. If it loses vitality, it leads you to do the same. Yesterday, finding everyone with beers in their hands, sitting outdoors, leaving the hairdressers, fresh from their manicures was wonderful.
Is it more the desire to enjoy your city now that it is open or to take a trip abroad?
Actually the real big desire is to enjoy London, I missed living it. Then all the checks they submit to you to return, the mandatory quarantine, the double swab that you have to learn to do yourself make me want to leave ...
What was the most important difference between the UK and Italy in managing the pandemic?
The narrative of the story is totally different. In Italy there is constant alarmism, here they are aware of the gravity of the situation but not dramatic. They teach you how to behave and how to do it in the best way. The management of vaccines was also completely different: we never looked for a scapegoat, we reacted.
What did you miss the most during the lockdown?
Seeing my friends, chatting with them, having dinner together: social life.
What will be left of the forced closure?
Nothing positive about the latest lockdown. Just exhaustion.
What will you do tomorrow?
I go to the gym to renew my membership, it will be really strange, a dream. Oh and last but not least, from August the festivals in the parks start again: today I buy the tickets!
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