At present, Italy is one of the regions that suffer the COVID-19 pandemic the most severely. Are the local overseas Chinese from Zhejiang safe? How do Italians fight against the pandemic? How is the life of the overseas Chinese from Zhejiang living in Milan, the capital of fashion in the world? How is the life of the local people?

The diaries entitled “Italy Engulfed in Pandemic” written by an overseas Chinese in Italy, Ms. Chen Xiaowei, on March 24, 2020, local time, tell us the current situation of Italy during the pandemic.

These days, the COVID-19 pandemic has spread all over the world, and the situation in Italy is extremely severe.

The volatile weather in Milan is just like my swinging mood. On March 10, the Italian government issued a decree to close cities. Milan, where I live, lost its hustle and bustle. My home is located in the center of Milan, only a few minutes' drives from the railway station. Milan is a bustling city in normal days, but now seen from my balcony, there are just a few pedestrians and cars on the street.

At that time, the epidemic situation in China was serious. We bought dozens of boxes of medical supplies that were later delivered to China on the plane chartered by the Wenzhou government for the frontline medical staff.

We Chinese people were alert to the pandemic much earlier than the Italians. Since the beginning of the year when we collected medical supplies for China, we have been keeping abreast of the situation of the pandemic in China. On March 10, the Italian government issued a decree to close cities. A few days ago, Milan issued the same decree to prevent one vehicle from carrying more than two passengers at the same time. Besides, people who need to go to a faraway place are required to tell the authorities the reason for traveling and produce one's ID.

At about 10 a.m. on March 22, when I drove out, I was asked to produce my ID. "Where do you want to go ? " asked the officer in Italian.

"To attend a meeting! I will go to the hotel where the Chinese medical experts stay! "I replied loudly.

At that moment, I felt very proud.

Half an hour later, we arrived at the hotel where the leaders of several overseas Chinese associations had gathered. When the experts of the Zhejiang medical team arrived, all the people in the hotel were excited and touched.

Most of the overseas Chinese who came to the hotel that day were middle-aged people who had been through a lot of hardships and their emotions should have been quite steady. However, at that moment, I saw that many people's eyes were moist, including mine.

The Zhejiang medical team held a training meeting for the local overseas Chinese associations during noon break to teach us how to protect ourselves and our families.

At the time of parting, experts from the medical team distributed 1,500 to 3,000 medical masks to each overseas Chinese association. On all the packing cases were printed the national flags of China and Italy, as well as two lines from a poem "The mind of the wanderer is like a floating cloud in the sky; the sunset is comparable to friendship". As an overseas Chinese who has been living overseas for 30 years, when I saw this poem, I was so touched that I was on the verge of tears. I think that all the overseas Chinese have felt the care from our motherland.

This is a priceless gift. When I drove home wearing the mask, I felt so secure. When I got home, I shared the good news with my husband and children.

"The motherland is our strongest backing, and our hometown cares about us all the time." My husband and I solemnly said to our children. At that moment, we were so moved.

How to distribute these masks? How can I share the masks from my hometown with more people? After dinner that day, we had a family meeting.

On the afternoon of March 23, my children put on masks and gloves and set off with a large bag of masks.

Looking at the backs of them when they set off, I suddenly realized that they had grown up and become responsible and caring persons who had appreciated the value of mutual assistance and sharing.

On the morning of March 24, a sunny day, when the children were still asleep, I sat alone on the balcony and watched the video of them handing out masks yesterday and I felt so proud and touched. In the video, I say they knocked on different doors and handed out masks to white-haired couples and young people. When receiving the masks, everyone expressed their sincere gratitude.

In addition to the medical experts from Zhejiang, batches of protective materials from the motherland have arrived in Italy. We hope to spread the love from China to more local people.

I firmly believe that the pandemic will eventually end. China and Italy will stand together through storm and stress and forge ahead.