Livigno lockdown

Livigno

It’s now 4 days that Livigno is on Lockdown, its a strange situation, it feels like we have gone back 30 years to when the passes were closed for a large part of the winter.  Now there are mainly the residents, no tourists now, just  families playing with their kids, people rediscovering Livigno.  Here people think about work, how to make the best experience for the guests, now they can’t open, they cant do anything, they cant go anywhere,  we need a document to go anywhere…. all the small businesses have closed, people are scared, scared that they wont be able to pay the bills, scared their grandparents might get this horrible virus, scared they wont be able to pay the bank. People have  worried looks on their faces, some have masks on. If you cough everyone looks round with panic, but this is nothing compared to places like Bergamo and the cities… This virus is scary, we didn’t realise just how serious it was going to get and how fast. We read the newspapers and see that other countries dont seem to be taking it seriously, they dont realise that it is going to get worse everywhere.  We have a great health service but our hospitals are full, they cant cope, they are putting beds in military bases, expo areas.  Its global now. We looked at China and thought it’s a long away away but now it‘s here. we are aware that we mustn’t do anything stupid so we don’t need to get treated. Here is fabulous snow but we cannot go ski Mountaineering, cannot go up the mountains with the snowshoes. Just in case. It’s not fair on the guide alpine, the hospitals, they already have enough to do!

However terrible the situation is here is one of the best places to be on lockdown, here is a little paradise, it’s not in the middle of a big city with closed parks and  not being able to go out of your own house, people can walk along the river Spol and up the tracks,  strangely everyone says hello to each other, obviously standing apart and no one touches each other, just smiles suffice. We are all in the same situation. We feel united. The roads are quiet, the haze of smog from chimneys has gone,  the centre of the village which is usually bustling with all nationalities is empty, you dont hear any foreign languages at all, usually walking down the road you can hear Russians, Czech, Polish, scandì and many others,  plus English accents from all the English speaking areas, South African, american, irish. There is silence where once there was music, the apres ski bars are all closed, the shops are all closed, just a few food stores.
It’s absurd the total difference between two weeks ago and now.. two weeks ago there was noise, people, buses, shopping bags, cars, apres ski, laughter and singing, skiers all walking to or from the pistes, Bright ski outfits, ski boots clanking along, people were on holiday, happy, excited about their skiing and loving the superb snow conditions and of course the great food and atmosphere. Now this is all gone. Just us.