The virus arrived without warning. It caught everyone off guard. Within days, drastic measures were in place. Schools, cinemas, theaters, museums, shops, churches—all closed. Every scheduled event canceled. Everything stopped. The streets emptied. Public transport sat nearly vacant. Yet supermarkets filled with people buying in a panic, stripping shelves bare. Fear took hold. Nobody went out. We were told to avoid crowds where infection risk was high. A surreal situation we're trying to manage, but it has created real problems. Some of the day centers our kids with disabilities attended were shut down as a precaution; in other cases, parents chose to keep their children home.
Young people living in group homes were sent back to their families at the first sign of a cold. Several who work in sheltered employment couldn't go to their jobs—those in school or company cafeterias, for instance, which closed because of the virus. Some are relieved to be home resting and relaxing. Others are miserable. They're not used to sitting idle. Usually these young people are occupied with sports, recreation, games. Stopping everything at once has been hard. They don't adjust easily. We've tried to explain what's happening, but they don't always understand. They're sensitive, reactive, vulnerable. They need protection and care. If it were possible, remote work from home would help them too. They need to be doing something—that way they feel engaged.
Art studios, pottery workshops, embroidery and sewing classes have all closed, and the disappointment among the young people who do this work with passion is real. Their creations are displayed and sold at markets to raise awareness and generate funds for the group's future activities. Now there's the sadness of not seeing friends, not being together, missing that companionship. Keeping them at home while waiting for life to return to normal is exhausting—for them, who want to be out, and for families trying to keep them occupied. Even therapeutic activities have stopped, and these are essential programs. We hope they resume soon. Some of the young people serve as altar servers. With all church services suspended, they're waiting for the churches to reopen so they can return to serving Mass. What a situation. What a mess. We hope normal life resumes as quickly as possible. We remain hopeful and confident that this emergency will pass soon.