Former Manchester United and England defender Ashley Young, who now plays for Inter, offers Coronavirus advice from crisis-hit Milan
Ashley Young
Former Manchester United and England defender Ashley Young, who currently plays for Italian side Inter Milan, has explained exactly what life has been like in lockdown bang in the middle of the new 'epicentre' of the Coronavirus pandemic. Italy has so far seen nearly 70,000 positive cases and recorded nearly 7,000 deaths.
ADVERTISEMENT
In a series of messages to his 2.5 million Twitter followers, Young, who moved from United to Milan in January, shared his own experience and advised all to strictly follow social distancing.
"A supermarket is your main risk at spreading this virus and even catching it. Speaking with family and friends at home [in the UK] it sounds like going to get food is just crazy [due to the lockdown] but remember, lockdown means lockdown. In Italy going to the supermarket is surprisingly calm. No fights over food, no stripped shelves and no abusing staff members for limiting food. And usually just one person shops for a household," explained Young, 34.
In India, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech of a 21-day lockdown on Tuesday, there were reports of chaos at most shops as people began to throng them, fearing supplies running out. However, Young called for some simple rules while going out to buy essential supplies. "Queuing to go into supermarket is standard here in Italy, not because it's for stockpiling or greed but because supermarkets have limited the number of people entering at a time, so it's never over-crowded. Always keep your distance at the till. Keep the trolley behind you when you unpack at the till as it stops people from getting too close," he said.
Lifts and other common areas are also places where one can catch the virus and Young warned about this too. "Get in a lift with only one more person and stand on opposite sides, facing the wall. Don't breathe towards that person. This may sound harsh but treat everybody that's not in your household as if they have the virus. It's not an overreaction but it's to ultimately help save lives."
Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates