Julio Algañaraz
02/28/2020 - 10:07
- Clarín.com
- World
New alarm about the spread of the coronavirus in Italy When it was believed that the epidemic was slowly beginning to loosen, this Friday the governor of Lombardy, Attilio Fontana, announced that "there was a multitude of hospitalizations" in the last hours. Fifty-one people had to be admitted "in serious condition" and 17 of them "are in intensive care."
The cases occurred in the province of Lodi, in southern Lombard, which is the heart of the epidemic that broke out between 19 and 20 this month. "As there are not enough intensive care beds in the hospitals in the area, the patients had to be transferred to other regional hospitals," Fontana added.
The news fell like a bomb meanwhile from the national government by regional leaders heard calls to decompress "the climate of psychosis that is doing more damage than the coronavirus."
Figures as of February 28, 08:30 GMT (5:30 Argentine time) ./ AFP
The media and social organizations also asked to avoid “pumping” a climate of persistent alarm.
To calm the popular anxiety, it had been decided that from Friday only at 6:00 p.m. local time, (2:00 p.m. in Argentina), statistical news and news about the evolution of the epidemic were going to be announced. The idea was to concentrate and coordinate the news to avoid the confusion of the different entities that continuously release data and assessments on the situation, in a battle of prominence.
But the dramatic announcement of Governor Attilio Fontana creates new confusion because the announcement did not start from the Civil Protection, which since Friday was the only institution that should make the public aware of developments in the fight against the epidemic.
A collaborator of Fontana was positive two days ago to the test of the transmission of the virus. The governor had no other occurrence than to appear before the television cameras and announce that he began an "isolation" for a week. Fontana also turned upside down a chinstrap , they had to help him and said he would wear the mask "in defense of all Lombards."
The governor of Lombardy with problems to wear a chinstrap. / ANSA.
Many believe that the proximity of regional elections have excited politicians complicating an already difficult situation because of the epidemic. Until Thursday last night it was reported that the infected were 650 and that there were 17 dead . Now the figures should change after the announcement of the new outbreak by Governor Fontana.
Another version that violates the will to coordinate the announcements through Civil Protection was given by the governor of Veneto, Luca Zaia. A spokeswoman said that those infected in this region near Lombardy had risen to 133.
Arrests for violating quarantine
Figures as of February 27./ AFP
Until Thursday, those infected in Lombardy were 406. In the province of Lodi, ten municipalities have been declared in quarantine to isolate 50 thousand inhabitants. The measure is being met and several people who tried to enter or leave the area have been arrested by police and army forces, which control numerous blocking posts.
Meanwhile, efforts continue to “reopen Milan” , by Mayor Giuseppe Sala, who has already achieved that the rich metropolis of northern Italy returns to register movements of people after two days of being practically empty.
Hall is reopening movie theater and theater halls . On Monday the legendary Scala of Milan will open its doors.
A push for normality will be the reopening of schools, which project several regions. In the Veneto you want to open the school and university doors no later than the middle of next week. There are sectors that invite prudence so as not to turn the massive reopening of schools into a contagion drama.
Rome, correspondent