Coronavirus in Italy today

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Italy has become another hotbed of the COVID-2019 coronavirus epidemic. From the latest news, it became known how many infected people have been identified today and in which cities they live.

What happened

“Leading experts from Harvard and Oxford Universities are sounding the alarm: the Chinese coronavirus has taken over the entire planet, tracing the contacts of the infected and strengthening control in border areas do not give the expected result. It is necessary to completely change the strategy, - reports the scientific publication Science.

Italy, known for its high level of development of medicine, unexpectedly for everyone became a new focus of the epidemic, taking the fourth position in the number of cases after China, South Korea and Japan.

The first case of infection was recorded on January 31, 2020 in the south of the country. On the same day, the authorities announced the termination of flights with China and the introduction of an emergency regime in Italy. But the moment was already lost.

Most of the infected with coronavirus are in the north of the state: in Veneto, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna and Piedmont. The Russian Embassy in Italy strongly recommends that citizens refrain from traveling to these regions, except in cases of extreme necessity. Experts also explain which cities cannot be reached due to the security measures taken.

Following the example of Chinese Wuhan, 12 cities in these provinces are quarantined (with the exception of Venice and Milan). Restrictive measures have been introduced: after a certain hour, all movement in the city is prohibited, entry and exit are also prohibited. Mass events have been canceled, including the last days of the Venice Carnival.

In Milan, with a population of more than 1 million, all football matches have been canceled, theaters and the Gothic cathedral are closed. Residents of the city are advised to stock up on food and not go out without good reason.

Why Italy is the place where the coronavirus outbreak occurred

There are several explanations why Italy has become the next hotbed of infection.

The bulk of Schengen visas for Chinese citizens is issued by this country.

Italy is the third country in Western Europe (after France and Great Britain) in terms of the number of migrants from the PRC. Moreover, most of them live in Lombardy.

Local media journalists blame the Italian authorities for the rapid spread of the infection, which did not take other security measures, except for the closure of flights with China.

In addition, the termination of flights did not have the desired effect, since tourists from the PRC continued to arrive here from other EU countries using rail, road and bus transport. Germany and France did not close air traffic with China, they just tightened control and began to check passengers right at the airports.

It also points to the sluggishness of the authorities in terms of isolating the infected - almost all of them were placed in the clinic only a few days later, which contributed to the further spread of the virus among the healthy population.

Elena Maslova, a lecturer at the Department of Integration Processes at MGIMO, finds another reason why the Italians were subjected to the strongest attack of a new type of coronavirus: “The infection exposed the social, economic and demographic problems existing in the country. After all, the coronavirus affects mostly the elderly, and the population of Italy is one of the oldest in the world."

How many cases in Italy

The number of victims of the epidemic in Italy has reached 80,589. Reported 8215 deaths. Most of the infected were in the northern part of the country (in Lombardy and Veneto), where more than 480 cases of infection were recorded. Italy ranks first in the number of people infected with coronavirus in the world.

Among the cases, there are also citizens of other states. For example, in Campania, a case of a traveler from Ukraine has been confirmed. According to the Italian edition Fanpage, the 26-year-old girl returned from Lombardy on February 15, where an outbreak of coronavirus has now been recorded.

A few days later, she felt unwell and went to the San Luca di Vallo della Lucania hospital, where, after research, she was diagnosed with COVID-19. But this diagnosis is inconclusive and must be confirmed in Naples by the specialists of the Cotugno Clinic. It is also reported that everyone who accompanied the girl on the trip was quarantined. In which city they are being treated is not advertised.

Air and rail links

Airports in Italy, including those in the "red zone" - Lombardy, are operating normally. At the Milan Linate and Malpensa terminals, temperatures are checked for all passengers arriving from abroad.

Bergamo Orio al Serio Airport has also taken security measures, including temperature checks on international passengers and those arriving from Rome. All points of sale at the airport operate normally and are available to visitors.

Almost all borders of Europe are closed.

The railway company Ferrovie Italiane has supplemented the rules for the carriage of passengers with new points. They include:

• mandatory installation of hand sanitizer dispensers on regional, intercity and national trains;
• strengthening of disinfection in carriages;
• delivery of special protective equipment for personnel.

If the measures taken still do not suit the passenger, he has the right to refuse the trip and request a refund for tickets purchased before February 23, 2020 for Regionale, Intercity, Notte and Intercity trains.

Summarize

1. Italy has become the main hotbed of infection with the Covid-19 coronavirus.
2. Most of the infected people live in the northern regions of the country, mainly in Lombardy.
3. To date, more than 80 cases of the disease have been registered, more than 8 thousand people have already become victims of the coronavirus.
4. Air traffic with China has been discontinued. Airports, railway and bus stations operate normally, additional security measures have been introduced.