Ashley Young's coronavirus survival guide from Milan

Based in Milan with Serie A side Inter, former Manchester United full-back Ashley Young explained what is it like in Italy amid the crisis.

In a Twitter thread, Ashley Young has drawn on his experiences of living in Milan with Italy buckling down from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Inter full-back Ashley Young offered tips for staying safe during the coronavirus pandemic, including treating everybody that is not in your household as if they have COVID-19.

The impact of coronavirus has been devastating, with more than 18,600 deaths globally and at least 418,270 confirmed cases. Italy – particularly Milan and the Lombardy region – has been the hardest hit, with almost 7,000 casualties and over 69,100 cases.

As India heads into a 21-day lockdown until April 15 and with citizens scurrying to stock essentials before supply runs short, Young's pointers could come in handy to help curb the spread of the virus in your neighbourhood.

Hi everyone, just wanted to share my thoughts given I'm currently living in Italy, the epicentre of the virus.

— Ashley Young (@youngy18) March 24, 2020

1. Realistically a supermarket is now your main risk at spreading this virus and even catching it. Speaking with family and friends at home it sounds like going to get food is just crazy.

Wait and be patient when visiting supermarkets. Practice physical distancing.

Remember, lockdown means lockdown! In Italy going to the supermarket is surprisingly calm... no fights over food, no stripped shelves and most certainly no abusing staff members for limiting food or any reason at all! And in almost every case it's usually just one person shopping for a household!

2. Queuing to go into supermarket is standard, but not because it's for stockpiling or greed. Supermarkets have limited the number of people entering at any time so it's never over-crowded! So wait and be patient to go in if your supermarket is doing this.

3. If you have to get in the lift only get in with one more person, two people per lift at one time. And stand on opposite sides of the lift and face the wall – don't breathe outwards towards that stranger.

4. Always use gloves from moment you get out of your car! You don't want to touch trolleys that other hands have been on. Keep the gloves on until you are getting back in the car.

While the use of gloves is recommended when you're stepping out, do not hoard medical equipment lest those who need them find them in short supply. Ensure you wash your hand thoroughly. Most importantly, stay at home.

 

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5. Use a face mask or scarf to keep your nose and mouth covered. [While this applies to Milan and other places in Italy due to the severity of the outbreak, a mask is not necessary here as it does little to prevent contraction of the virus. Use a mask if you are coughing or sneezing to help prevent infecting someone else.]

6. Always keep your distance at the till. Keep the trolley behind you when you unpack at the till as it stops people from being able to get too close. Don't unpack your shopping right on top of somebody else's, make a gap between theirs and yours so none of your shopping touches theirs. Here we can't put our groceries on the belt until the person in front has finished paying.

Ensure you maintain a safe distance with others in public and avoid touching unfamiliar surfaces as much as possible.

 

7. This may sound harsh but treat everybody that's not in your household as if they have the virus, you just don't know!!! Most importantly, just stay safe! This is what we are doing here, it's not an overreaction, it's staying safe. And just remember others should be looking at you in this way as well. It's not horrible, it's a way of keeping your distance to ultimately help save lives.