I got up early that day to hike around Lake Albano in Castel Gandolfo, about 40 minutes by train from Rome. I stopped, found a spot by the lake, and wrote the first 600 words that began the Guardian’s coverage of Italy’s coronavirus outbreak. Sitting by the lake, I had a feeling that life as we knew it had stopped. Reporting on coronavirus: 'fear is almost as great a threat as the disease' Read moreWe knew Covid-19 had made it to Italy in late January, when two Chinese tourists in Rome were confirmed to have contracted it. Covering the coronavirus outbreak, especially in the early stages, has been different in the sense that the threat is there, but cannot be seen or properly understood.

Source: The Guardian March 28, 2020 12:00 UTC