This is Mrs. Helfridge’s (my principal here in Yantis) daughter. Her husband is in the military and is administrator for a military hospital in Italy. She is from Sulphur Springs. Her name is Kristen Cross Wolf.
March 11, 2020
My family is happy and healthy, but it’s getting real bad, real fast over here in northern Italy. The total number of COVID-19 cases has now surpassed the 10,000 mark. In the beginning, they kept telling us

that we were a couple weeks behind South Korea’s progression, and that we were learning from them, but then our numbers surpassed South Korea and just keep rising.
😢
The entire country has been on “lockdown” for a couple days now, and we have to carry a “permission to travel” form just to leave our house for essential reasons like the grocery store or to go to work. I thought it was a bit of overkill at first, but now I see that this is what it’s going to take to keep people at home. Unfortunately, it is still spreading fast and our hospitals are totally overwhelmed. The stories coming from healthcare professionals in Milan having to make life or death decisions on who to save are just gut-wrenching. Funerals (along with weddings and any other public gatherings) have been cancelled so families can’t even bury their loved ones. 🔐
It breaks my heart to see the beautiful people of this country going through all of this. For an economy that relies so heavily on tourism, it’s going to take a long time to recover financially, even with a ton of support that the Italian government has already promised. Mortgage payments have already been waved for the month, as some people are now going on a few weeks without work/income. 💔
Online/virtual school is getting easier for everyone, and we plan on continuing on this way until at least April 3. Even as a teacher, I’m not sure what we would be doing with all of our time if it weren’t for technology-enhanced learning. For those with multiple kids in different grade levels, this is a new full-time job that many people were not prepared for. Hats off to all the accidental homeschool moms out there! 📚 
I see lots of Coronavirus jokes and memes from people back in the US, but it’s coming your way soon. Be prepared to completely change your way of life when everything around you shuts down. Get used to the hysteria and ever-changing restrictions put on your community because it will be your new norm. There’s no reason to panic and nothing at all to be afraid of, but you should take it seriously and follow the rules that are there for a good reason. I’m pretty sure things would not be this out of control in Italy had we all followed the rules. 😜
Now go wash your hands. 🦠