Whether acting under government orders or following basic public health advice, people are putting distance between themselves to keep the coronavirus away. Pixabay
A nationwide decree that took effect in Italy last week obliges people to stay at least one meter (about three feet) apart. Overnight, habits of a lifetime and of an entire society were turned upside down.
In a country where waiting your turn often equates to elbowing your way to the front of an undisciplined pack, Italians dutifully lined up with breaks in between — one meter, two meters, sometimes standing across the street from each other to keep stores uncrowded and themselves from getting COVID-19.
ALSO READ: Intel to Unveil its Latest and Most Powerful Neuromorphic Research System With Capacity of 100mn Neurons
Shopkeepers whipped out measuring tapes.
"I have seen a lot of discipline, solidarity and collaboration, and everybody understands that the first that falls will pull the others with him," said Piero Emilio Vincenzi, owner of an appliance store near the Vatican. (VOA)