So many families are separated right now due to the need to self-isolate as the world battles the coronavirus. One woman recently returned from Italy, which is the hardest-hit country from the COVID-19 pandemic, and as a result, she has been in a 14-day quarantine, but her dad found a way to keep her spirits high.
“I just got back from Italy and was required to self-quarantine in my room for 14 days, so my parents ate every meal with me from the hallway. I don’t deserve them,” Mia Bongardino tweeted along with a video that has garnered over 16 million views since it’s posting on Thursday, March 19.
Bongardino, a student at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Tuscany, had returned home and immediately went into isolation. Still, her dad, Steven Bongardino, didn’t want her to feel too isolated. The pair started a ritual where dad would eat his meal in the hallway, maintaining the safe distance apart.
We were told by the New York Health Department to stay at least six feet away from our family members while quarantined hence the meals from the hall,” Bongardino told TIME. The video is a montage of the different meals the two shared, complete with a bed tray, wine, and candles and flowers.
i just got back from italy & was required to self quarantine in my room for 14 days so my parents ate every meal with me from the hallway. i don’t deserve them :’) pic.twitter.com/0mwLSdkIdv
— mia (@miabongo) March 19, 2020
At a time where many of us are feeling increasingly lonely as our time indoors and away from people increase. There are still ways to connect, and this dad and daughter’s dinner plans is one way to make sure we’re taking care of each other’s mental health, too.
