A former member of the Kansas City Chiefs coaching staff is currently quarantined in Rome, Italy as the country deals with the coronavirus crisis.
Brock Olivo was the Chiefs’ assistant special teams coordinator 2014 through 2016. Most recently he worked in the same role for the Chicago Bears. After his stint in Chicago finished, Olivo joined his family in Italy mid-February, becoming the head coach of the Lazio Ducks in their Division I football league.
Olivo recently spoke with Chicago Tribune reporter Brad Biggs about what he’s witnessed as a resident in the capital of Italy.
“It’s as close to apocalyptic as we have ever seen,” said Olivo. “I got back here right about the time this thing was starting to take off. I’ve basically been here since the onset. Shortly thereafter, it started exploding up in the northern part of the country and from them on it’s been … unreal.”
The northern section of Italy has been one of the hardest-hit areas amidst the COVID-19 crisis and has led to a country-wide lockdown. Thankfully, Olivo and his family are safe and healthy.
The mandates imposed by the Italian government have shut down all non-essential work. Only pharmacies and grocery stores remain open and with specialized hours to limit potential exposure. That means no football practice for the Lazio Ducks.
“We had football practice up until two weeks ago when the full quarantine was enforced, and now everything is just on hold,” Olivo explained.
While everything in Italy is indefinitely on hold, Olivo reiterated the message that Italian officials are preaching.
“What you really realize in this is health is absolutely the No. 1 most important thing,” said Olivo. “The Italian government and I am referring to it because I am here right now, what they’re saying is, ‘Look, people who have temporarily lost their jobs, those things can be recouped later on down the line. Your health cannot.’”
“By keeping myself on a structure during the day, the day does go by quickly,” Olivo said. “But I learned in the beginning, if you are not on a structure, the days will linger and you will lose track of time and you’ll go nuts. That’s why I am on a strict schedule — I am starting sommelier (class) now. Football is now. I’m doing Spanish now. My workout is now.”