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| Are Adults Living With Parents Making the Pandemic More Deadly? | Are Adults Living With Parents Making the Pandemic More Deadly? |
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| Francesco Moro cannot say with certainty how his 65-year-old father contracted the coronavirus, but he figures it has something to do with the fact that he and his older brother both fell ill a week earlier. Though the two sons are grown, they live with their parents in a modest home outside Bergamo, the epicenter of the Italian outbreak. | Francesco Moro cannot say with certainty how his 65-year-old father contracted the coronavirus, but he figures it has something to do with the fact that he and his older brother both fell ill a week earlier. Though the two sons are grown, they live with their parents in a modest home outside Bergamo, the epicenter of the Italian outbreak. |
| “The kitchen and the living room, the rooms that we share the most, are quite small.” said Mr. Moro, 28. “The probability of transmitting it is much higher.” | “The kitchen and the living room, the rooms that we share the most, are quite small.” said Mr. Moro, 28. “The probability of transmitting it is much higher.” |
| That logic has captured the attention of social scientists who are exploring a theory that may partly explain why the pandemic has proved especially deadly in Italy and Spain. In those countries, large numbers of working-age people live with their parents, and the younger people may be bringing the virus home and spreading it to their far more vulnerable, elderly parents. | That logic has captured the attention of social scientists who are exploring a theory that may partly explain why the pandemic has proved especially deadly in Italy and Spain. In those countries, large numbers of working-age people live with their parents, and the younger people may be bringing the virus home and spreading it to their far more vulnerable, elderly parents. |
| Far from universally accepted, this hypothesis is the subject of fierce debate, after the publication of a research paper purporting to find a link between incidence of adults living with their parents and deaths from the virus. Some economists have challenged the rigor and validity of that analysis. Italians and Spaniards are pushing back on the notion that an element of cultural pride — multiple generations of families living under the same roof instead of offloading older people to senior homes — is now being construed as a deadly vulnerability. | Far from universally accepted, this hypothesis is the subject of fierce debate, after the publication of a research paper purporting to find a link between incidence of adults living with their parents and deaths from the virus. Some economists have challenged the rigor and validity of that analysis. Italians and Spaniards are pushing back on the notion that an element of cultural pride — multiple generations of families living under the same roof instead of offloading older people to senior homes — is now being construed as a deadly vulnerability. |
| The argument is unfolding just as armchair epidemiologists and self-appointed anthropologists indulge cultural stereotypes to speculate on matters of grave import. Some claim that Japan has seen fewer deaths because people bow rather than shake hands; others say that France has suffered because people insist on kissing. | The argument is unfolding just as armchair epidemiologists and self-appointed anthropologists indulge cultural stereotypes to speculate on matters of grave import. Some claim that Japan has seen fewer deaths because people bow rather than shake hands; others say that France has suffered because people insist on kissing. |
| In Italy and Spain, a cultural tendency toward intergenerational living appears to have been enhanced by an economic catastrophe that forced legions of jobless people to take refuge with their parents. In the decade after the global financial crisis of 2008, the share of Italians between the ages of 25 and 29 who were living with their parents rose to 67 percent from 61 percent, according to Eurostat. In Spain, the same cohort expanded to 63 percent from 51 percent. | In Italy and Spain, a cultural tendency toward intergenerational living appears to have been enhanced by an economic catastrophe that forced legions of jobless people to take refuge with their parents. In the decade after the global financial crisis of 2008, the share of Italians between the ages of 25 and 29 who were living with their parents rose to 67 percent from 61 percent, according to Eurostat. In Spain, the same cohort expanded to 63 percent from 51 percent. |
| The paper that provoked the argument over the relevance of such figures to the pandemic was the work of two economists at the University of Bonn in Germany, Christian Bayer and Moritz Kuhn. They plotted the percentage of people between 30 and 49 who live with their parents against the fatality rates for confirmed cases of the coronavirus as of the middle of March. | The paper that provoked the argument over the relevance of such figures to the pandemic was the work of two economists at the University of Bonn in Germany, Christian Bayer and Moritz Kuhn. They plotted the percentage of people between 30 and 49 who live with their parents against the fatality rates for confirmed cases of the coronavirus as of the middle of March. |
| They found a striking correlation, positing this as a significant part of the explanation for why the virus had caused so many more deaths in Italy, which now has more any other nation, with nearly 14,000. | They found a striking correlation, positing this as a significant part of the explanation for why the virus had caused so many more deaths in Italy, which now has more any other nation, with nearly 14,000. |
| “We don’t have a method to uncover a causal relationship,” Mr. Kuhn acknowledged in an interview. “But what we show is that there is a very, very robust correlation.” That constitutes “at least an indication that there could be a causal relationship underlying,” he added. | “We don’t have a method to uncover a causal relationship,” Mr. Kuhn acknowledged in an interview. “But what we show is that there is a very, very robust correlation.” That constitutes “at least an indication that there could be a causal relationship underlying,” he added. |
| At the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, Jacob F. Kirkegaard, a senior fellow, conducted a similar analysis while updating available mortality data through March 25. His work showed Italy and Spain to be clear outliers: Young adults in those countries were more than twice as likely to live with their parents as those in Germany, France and Britain. Spain’s mortality rate was more than three times as high as those other countries; Italy’s was at least six times as high. | At the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, Jacob F. Kirkegaard, a senior fellow, conducted a similar analysis while updating available mortality data through March 25. His work showed Italy and Spain to be clear outliers: Young adults in those countries were more than twice as likely to live with their parents as those in Germany, France and Britain. Spain’s mortality rate was more than three times as high as those other countries; Italy’s was at least six times as high. |
| “It’s really quite striking,” Mr. Kirkegaard said. “Many working people will be asymptomatic carriers. If you get a lot of old people infected, then you’re in trouble.” | “It’s really quite striking,” Mr. Kirkegaard said. “Many working people will be asymptomatic carriers. If you get a lot of old people infected, then you’re in trouble.” |
| Demographers at the University of Oxford last month released a study urging governments to tailor their social-distancing strategies to the conditions of individual countries, paying particular attention to age structures. | Demographers at the University of Oxford last month released a study urging governments to tailor their social-distancing strategies to the conditions of individual countries, paying particular attention to age structures. |
| Italy has one of the highest ratios of older people on earth, the study noted, with 23 percent of the population at least 65, and striking degrees of “intergenerational contact.” Closing schools in Italy appeared risky, the study warned, because many parents would rely on their parents for child care, amplifying the threat of transmission from children to older people. | Italy has one of the highest ratios of older people on earth, the study noted, with 23 percent of the population at least 65, and striking degrees of “intergenerational contact.” Closing schools in Italy appeared risky, the study warned, because many parents would rely on their parents for child care, amplifying the threat of transmission from children to older people. |
| These analyses prompted concerted pushback from social scientists in Italy, who cited a truism: Correlation is not causation. | These analyses prompted concerted pushback from social scientists in Italy, who cited a truism: Correlation is not causation. |
| In a paper drafted from the economists at the University of Bonn as a rebuke of the work, five academics warned that comparing data across borders was an exercise fraught with methodological pitfalls. Given differences in testing from country to country, merely getting an accurate grasp of comparable mortality rates was difficult if not impossible, skewing any findings. | In a paper drafted from the economists at the University of Bonn as a rebuke of the work, five academics warned that comparing data across borders was an exercise fraught with methodological pitfalls. Given differences in testing from country to country, merely getting an accurate grasp of comparable mortality rates was difficult if not impossible, skewing any findings. |
| Scientists generally maintain that northern Italy became the locus of the pandemic in Europe because much of its industry is linked to China, with people going back and forth. The density of the region most likely enabled the virus to spread. | Scientists generally maintain that northern Italy became the locus of the pandemic in Europe because much of its industry is linked to China, with people going back and forth. The density of the region most likely enabled the virus to spread. |
| Though adults living with parents may indeed make the pandemic especially deadly, the skeptics acknowledge, many other characteristics mostly likely play a role, too. Italy relies on large, centralized hospitals that may facilitate transmission. Lifestyle factors could also be key. | Though adults living with parents may indeed make the pandemic especially deadly, the skeptics acknowledge, many other characteristics mostly likely play a role, too. Italy relies on large, centralized hospitals that may facilitate transmission. Lifestyle factors could also be key. |
| “Here in Italy, it may be stupid to say, but we tend to stay close to each other,” said Francesco Drago, an economist at the University of Catania in Sicily. “We tend to touch, to hug. This can be another factor. The point is, without detailed data, micro-data, it’s difficult to draw policy implications.” | “Here in Italy, it may be stupid to say, but we tend to stay close to each other,” said Francesco Drago, an economist at the University of Catania in Sicily. “We tend to touch, to hug. This can be another factor. The point is, without detailed data, micro-data, it’s difficult to draw policy implications.” |
| A less-than-authoritative indictment of intergenerational living could, he fears, be taken as impetus to warehouse older people in elder homes, where they would be at greater risk of spreading the virus to one another, with lethal consequences. | A less-than-authoritative indictment of intergenerational living could, he fears, be taken as impetus to warehouse older people in elder homes, where they would be at greater risk of spreading the virus to one another, with lethal consequences. |
| “If you concentrate elderly people, this can be worse,” he said. | “If you concentrate elderly people, this can be worse,” he said. |
| In Spain, the public has been horrified to learn of older people found dead at nursing homes, some abandoned in their beds, including two dozen at a single center in Madrid. | In Spain, the public has been horrified to learn of older people found dead at nursing homes, some abandoned in their beds, including two dozen at a single center in Madrid. |
| But the researchers behind the demographic analysis say they are not making value judgments or calling for older people to be yanked from their homes. They are looking for indicators that can enable policymakers to protect people when a public health threat emerges. | But the researchers behind the demographic analysis say they are not making value judgments or calling for older people to be yanked from their homes. They are looking for indicators that can enable policymakers to protect people when a public health threat emerges. |
| “There is no one-country-fits-all policy,” said Mr. Kuhn. “We are saying that if you live in a country where it’s very prevalent that there is interaction across generations, where grandparents typically pick up kids at school, then, if a situation like this arises, maybe your policy measures should be different.” | “There is no one-country-fits-all policy,” said Mr. Kuhn. “We are saying that if you live in a country where it’s very prevalent that there is interaction across generations, where grandparents typically pick up kids at school, then, if a situation like this arises, maybe your policy measures should be different.” |
| In China, the authorities now say they erred in initially allowing people with mild symptoms to isolate at home, where they then passed the virus to relatives. China eventually forced people into mass quarantine facilities — a step that would most likely be anathema in democratic societies. | In China, the authorities now say they erred in initially allowing people with mild symptoms to isolate at home, where they then passed the virus to relatives. China eventually forced people into mass quarantine facilities — a step that would most likely be anathema in democratic societies. |
| But even in Europe, the authorities might take early action — perhaps mandating that adults who live with older relatives immediately, begin working from home, ahead of broader policies. | But even in Europe, the authorities might take early action — perhaps mandating that adults who live with older relatives immediately, begin working from home, ahead of broader policies. |
| In Italy, hotels have recently made rooms available for coronavirus patients unable to safely isolate at home. In the Lazio region, which includes Rome, about 3,000 beds in 15 hotels are being readied for quarantine, according to the national hotel association. In Milan, the first patients arrived at the four-star Michelangelo hotel in late March. | In Italy, hotels have recently made rooms available for coronavirus patients unable to safely isolate at home. In the Lazio region, which includes Rome, about 3,000 beds in 15 hotels are being readied for quarantine, according to the national hotel association. In Milan, the first patients arrived at the four-star Michelangelo hotel in late March. |
| Jennifer Dowd, a professor of demography and population health at Oxford and the lead author of the Oxford paper, said better understanding of the demographic elements could allow hospitals to better anticipate the need for their beds. | Jennifer Dowd, a professor of demography and population health at Oxford and the lead author of the Oxford paper, said better understanding of the demographic elements could allow hospitals to better anticipate the need for their beds. |
| “It’s more important to intervene early in these areas that have a lot of intergenerational contact,” she said. | “It’s more important to intervene early in these areas that have a lot of intergenerational contact,” she said. |
| In Spain, children tend to remain in their parents’ homes until they are 29, and grandparents often move in after retirement — especially if they are widowed. | In Spain, children tend to remain in their parents’ homes until they are 29, and grandparents often move in after retirement — especially if they are widowed. |
| Updated June 5, 2020 | Updated June 5, 2020 |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. |
| Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. | Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. |
| Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. | Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. |
| States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. | States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) |
| Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. | Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. |
| The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. | The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. |
| If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. | If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. |
| This is how Ana Zambrano’s mother, María Candin, 70, moved in with her, her husband and their two children, both in their early 20s, sharing their home in a town outside the city of Zaragoza. Ms. Candin’s husband died eight years ago. She had just retired from her job cooking in a restaurant and did not want to be alone. | This is how Ana Zambrano’s mother, María Candin, 70, moved in with her, her husband and their two children, both in their early 20s, sharing their home in a town outside the city of Zaragoza. Ms. Candin’s husband died eight years ago. She had just retired from her job cooking in a restaurant and did not want to be alone. |
| In the middle of March, her mother developed a fever, prompting Ms. Zambrano, 44, to isolate her, making her bedroom off-limits to everyone else. She has largely recovered. Her family can only speculate about how she had contracted the virus. | In the middle of March, her mother developed a fever, prompting Ms. Zambrano, 44, to isolate her, making her bedroom off-limits to everyone else. She has largely recovered. Her family can only speculate about how she had contracted the virus. |
| “We’re a very affectionate family, with lots of hugs and kisses,” said Ms. Zambrano, who works as an administrative assistant at an accounting firm. “My mother may have got it from any one of us.” | “We’re a very affectionate family, with lots of hugs and kisses,” said Ms. Zambrano, who works as an administrative assistant at an accounting firm. “My mother may have got it from any one of us.” |
| Outside Bergamo, in northern Italy, Flavio Moro, a retired electrical technician, was the last member of his family to contract the virus. | Outside Bergamo, in northern Italy, Flavio Moro, a retired electrical technician, was the last member of his family to contract the virus. |
| His sons, Francesco, who works as a graphic designer at a textile company, and Luca, 32, a software engineer, both live at home, allowing them to save toward renting their own places. They both suffered fevers at the beginning of March, and then lost their sense of taste, a coronavirus symptom. Then their 57-year-old mother fell ill. They all recovered at home. | His sons, Francesco, who works as a graphic designer at a textile company, and Luca, 32, a software engineer, both live at home, allowing them to save toward renting their own places. They both suffered fevers at the beginning of March, and then lost their sense of taste, a coronavirus symptom. Then their 57-year-old mother fell ill. They all recovered at home. |
| The elder Mr. Moro would not prove as fortunate. After he experienced eight days of high fever along with coughing and nausea that prevented him from eating or drinking nearly anything, the family summoned an ambulance. | The elder Mr. Moro would not prove as fortunate. After he experienced eight days of high fever along with coughing and nausea that prevented him from eating or drinking nearly anything, the family summoned an ambulance. |
| At the hospital, doctors diagnosed the coronavirus. His condition deteriorated. Unable to speak, he communicated with his family only by text. | At the hospital, doctors diagnosed the coronavirus. His condition deteriorated. Unable to speak, he communicated with his family only by text. |
| All around him in the ward, his friends and neighbors were dying, moving him to cover his head “with a sheet and cry for an hour,” he wrote later, in a memoir about the experience. | All around him in the ward, his friends and neighbors were dying, moving him to cover his head “with a sheet and cry for an hour,” he wrote later, in a memoir about the experience. |
| Home now, Mr. Moro is stable and recovering. His sons wish they could turn back time and stay away from their father. He has almost no social life, limiting his risk to exposure. The last time he went out to shop for groceries, he donned a mask and gloves. | Home now, Mr. Moro is stable and recovering. His sons wish they could turn back time and stay away from their father. He has almost no social life, limiting his risk to exposure. The last time he went out to shop for groceries, he donned a mask and gloves. |
| His sons are young and prone to wandering around. Francesco plays accordion in a folk band. Luca is a volunteer firefighter and a bass player in another band. | His sons are young and prone to wandering around. Francesco plays accordion in a folk band. Luca is a volunteer firefighter and a bass player in another band. |
| When the government urged people to isolate, they assumed that meant staying away from those outside the family. | When the government urged people to isolate, they assumed that meant staying away from those outside the family. |
| “They made us feel we needed to separate from the old and the strangers,” he said, “not from the people we live with.” | “They made us feel we needed to separate from the old and the strangers,” he said, “not from the people we live with.” |
| Rachel Chaundler contributed reporting from Zaragoza, Spain. | Rachel Chaundler contributed reporting from Zaragoza, Spain. |