Italians bring sparkling lights and noise to silent streets, raising lockdown spirits

Record ID: 1464660

  • Title: Italians bring sparkling lights and noise to silent streets, raising lockdown spirits
  • Date: 15th March 2020
  • Summary: ROME, ITALY (MARCH 15, 2020) (REUTERS) (NIGHT SHOTS) PEOPLE WAVING FROM BALCONY WITH ITALIAN FLAG HANGING TURIN, ITALY (MARCH 15, 2020) (REUTERS) (NIGHT SHOTS) CANDLES LIT AT WINDOWS OF APARTMENT BLOCK PEOPLE WAVING HOLDING LIT UP SMARTPHONES AT BALCONY PEOPLE LOOKING AT CAMERA WAVING LIT UP SMARTPHONES CHEERING (Italian): "GO ITALY!" ROME, ITALY (MARCH 15, 2020) (REUTERS) (NIGHT SHOTS) VARIOUS VIEWS OF APARTMENT BLOCKS AND PEOPLE WAVING LIGHTS, PEOPLE SHOUTING CAR HORNS HEARD BEEPING, MAN WAVING LIGHT FROM BALCONY LOTS OF NOISE HEARD ON STREET IN PIGNETO DISTRICT MILAN, ITALY (MARCH 15, 2020) (REUTERS) (NIGHT SHOTS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE CHEERING DURING FLASH MOB, PEOPLE WITH LIGHTS AT BALCONIES AND WINDOWS ROME, ITALY (MARCH 15, 2020) (REUTERS) (NIGHT SHOTS) FAMILY WAVING LIGHTS FROM SMARTPHONES FROM BALCONY AS BELL RINGS VIEW OF STREET WITH BELL RINGING, PEOPLE WAVING LIGHTS IN DISTANCE MILAN, ITALY (MARCH 15, 2020) (REUTERS) (NIGHT SHOTS) PEOPLE CHEERING, CLANGING SAUCEPANS AND WAVING LIGHTS FROM BALCONIES AND WINDOWS PEOPLE HEARD CHEERING AND LIGHTS BEING WAVED SEEN ON BALCONIES THROUGH TREES ROME, ITALY (MARCH 15, 2020) (REUTERS) (NIGHT SHOTS) PEOPLE WAVING LIGHTS FROM BALCONIES AND CHEERING ITALIAN FLAG HUNG FROM BALCONY, PEOPLE WAVING SMARTPHONES WITH LIGHTS PEOPLE SHOUTING (Italian): "SEE YOU TOMORROW!" AS THEY WAVE THEIR SMARTPHONES WITH LIGHTS WOMAN AT WINDOW HOLDING LIT UP SMARTPHONE WOMAN AT WINDOW WAVING TORCH AND LIT UP SMARTPHONE WOMAN AT WINDOW HOLDING LIT UP SMARTPHONE FAMILY AT WINDOW HOLDING LIT UP SMARTPHONE PEOPLE CHEERING, SHOUTING AND SINGING WAVING LIGHTS
  • Embargoed: 29th March 2020 22:04
  • Keywords: Italy andratuttobene balconies and windows coronavirus coronavirus lockdown flash mob flashmob illuminate italy light up Italy lucca
  • Location: ROME, TURIN AND MILAN , ITALY
  • City: ROME, TURIN AND MILAN , ITALY
  • Country: Italy
  • Reuters ID: LVA001C55XG07
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:The streets of Italy resembled a night sky full of sparkling stars on Sunday (March 15) - but a noisy one - as resilient Italians, isolated at home as the country battles coronavirus, waved their lit up smartphones, sung, yelled and cheered from their windows, as part of another flash mob to raise spirits under lockdown.
    Defiant Italians have shown their resilience in the unprecedented crisis, and have been coming together from their quarantine at home to their windows and balconies for daily flash mobs to put on a smile and boost morale in an increasingly difficult time.
    On Sunday, silent pitch-black streets were brought to life as Italians up and down the country took part in a 'Light up Italy' flash mob at 9.p.m. (2000GMT), turning on lights of their smartphones, lighting candles and waving torches.
    The government has imposed an unprecedented series of controls since the virus emerged in northern Italy on February 21, banning public gatherings, forbidding all but essential travel and telling people to stay at home.
    The country recorded 368 new deaths from the virus outbreak on Sunday as the total rose to 1,809 from 1,441 a day earlier, the country's civil protection authority said, while the number of positive cases rose to 24,747.
    (Production: Massimo Pinca, Yara Nardi, Valentina Za, Alex Fraser, Claudia Cristoferi, Remo Casilli, Guglielmo Mangiapane, Cristiano Corvino, Emily Roe)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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