RI business owner worried about family in Italy amid coronavirus

The novel coronavirus known as covid-19 is having massive global impacts and some families in Rhode Island are concerned for loved ones living in some of the hardest-hit areas.

It’s especially concerning for Italy, and one business owner from Federal Hill is understandably concerned about his relatives there because of the virus, but he’s also getting some great insight from them about how they’re coping with the situation.

In Italy almost 200 people died from covid-19, meanwhile, the country has seen approximately 4,600 cases total.

Antonio Di’Cicco, the owner of Tony’s Colonial Food on federal Hill, said that on top of what’s happening in Rhode Island, where the state confirmed two positive cases of the virus, he also is thinking about his family in his home country.

Di’Cicco moved to the United States in 1955, from his hometown of Cassino in southern Italy.

“My wife has a brother over there and she speaks [to him] every day,” he said. “They are concerned but the south is not as bad.”

Di’Cicco’s family is taking precautions because of the spread of the virus, although some of those steps are not being recommended here in the United States.

“I mean they use masks over there. When they work, when they travel through people,” he said.

His niece works as a flight attendant with an airline in his home country, and now because of the virus she is temporarily out of a job.

“She works with an airline, Alitalia and she’s been laid off because of this,” Di’Cicco said.

Di’Cicco still has to take his own measures for his business. He and his daughter Adrienne sanitized the entire store to be safe, and have signs hanging inside urging people who are sick to not enter.

“We do it any way but we do it more now, much more,” Adrienne said. “Constantly wiping down the door handles, the counters, the tables. We sanitize the slicers constantly, every hour.”

In those daily calls with family back home, Di’Cicco received a little advice from them.

“Careful. Don’t do this, don’t do that. Don’t travel too much you might meet people that are unpleasant [sic] you might catch something,” he said.

He also said his grandnieces in Italy have had school canceled until March 15 while the country tries to control the virus.