In Italy, significantly more people have died in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Now new numbers give hope. The easing, however, should be accelerated. The news ticker.
- The coronavirus pandemic * has Italy particularly hard hit.
- Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced easing of the exit restrictions - which have recently taken effect in the corona crisis * .
- Here you will find the basic facts about the corona virus * and the corona news from Germany . You can also find current case numbers in Germany here as a map *. The following recommendations for corona protective measures * are currently available .
- The global developments on Corona are also available on our new Facebook page Corona News.
Update from May 11th, 10:50 pm: Suspicion and distrust of Germany apparently continue to increase in the Corona crisis in Italy . Resentments against the EU partner have been reported for weeks because the Federal Republic rejects so-called corona bonds to cushion the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic .
According to a representative survey by the Demos & Pi institute for the La Repubblica newspaper , only 26 percent of those surveyed would have a lot of trust in Germany . In January 2019, the value was still 42 percent, it is said.
Corona crisis in Italy: regions want faster easing
Update of May 11, 9:30 p.m .: With the easing of restrictions on citizens in Italy due to the coronavirus pandemic , things should now go much faster - at least in individual regions.
Come Regioni abbiamo chiesto che possano arrivare al più presto (al massimo giovedì) le linee guida per la riapertura delle attività, su cui stanno lavorando Inail e Comitato tecnico scientifico. È fondamentale avere il tempo di metterle in pratica per aprire in sicurezza. # Fase2
- Giovanni Toti (@GiovanniToti) May 11, 2020According to politicians, the Italian government gives the 20 regions more leeway. The President of the Region of Liguria, Giovanni Toti, reported about it on Monday evening on Twitter. There had previously been a video conference between representatives of the regions, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and government officials.
Italy had started to carefully relax the strict restrictions in the Corona crisis on May 4th.
Update of May 11, 8 p.m .: For the first time in two months, the number of corona patients in the intensive care unit who need treatment in Italy has dropped below the thousand mark.
Bologna: A medical worker is preparing to go to an intensive care unit at Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Hospital.
© dpa / Gianni Schicchi
999 people are currently due to a coronavirus infection in the intensive care unit , the civil protection authority said in Rome on this Monday. For the third day in a row, the number of corona deaths registered within 24 hours was less than 200.
The figures presented by civil defense give hope for a massive improvement in the situation.
Corona crisis in Italy: because of the corona virus pandemic "a confused country"?
Update of May 11, 10:29 am : The Italian newspaper "La Repubblica" writes in the Monday edition that Italy is "a confused country" and feels less and less European: " Covid has further aggravated the disappointment with the euro and stirs up a feeling that urges us to look beyond the EU. "
The Swiss NZZ sees the country paralyzed: The government is now - in contrast to the lockdown - far too indecisive, numerous liquidity aid was " stuck in the clutches of the bureaucracy ", the 55-billion stimulus package was being negotiated too long.
According to Johns Hopkins University, a total of 30,560 people died from the Coronavirus in Italy by Monday - but the number of new infections and deaths has dropped significantly in recent days.
Again there was applause from Italy's balconies on Monday - an employee of an Italian aid organization kidnapped in Kenya had returned after 18 months of imprisonment.
In Africa, the Italian kidnapped her again after 18 months
© dpa / Luca Bruno
Many are currently wondering whether Italy will already be a destination for summer vacation 2020 * .
Corona virus in Italy: prison members should no longer be able to be released so easily
Update of May 10, 2:36 p.m .: The numerous good news from Italy are now also mixed with news about Italy's prisons : The government has responded to criticism from the population with an improved regulation . Accordingly, the rules for the release of people due to infection protection have been tightened - and "legality and need for release" now have to be checked every two weeks. 376 mafiosi and drug dealers were among those released . They had been released from the pandemic in March and placed under house arrest.
Corona in Italy: Conte gives hope for summer vacation
Update from May 10, 11:31: Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte gave his compatriots hope of a summer vacation on the beach in the Corona crisis . “This summer we will not be on the balcony and the beauty of Italy will not remain in quarantine. We can go to the sea, into the mountains, enjoy our cities, ” Conte told the newspaper“ Corriere della Sera ”(Sunday). He didn't say whether tourists could come from abroad.
At the moment the Italians are not allowed to travel from one region to another - only for good reasons. It is not yet clear when exactly people can travel again, said Conte. "We are waiting for the epidemiological framework to be developed to provide accurate data and planning."
Corona in Italy: Sicilians populate the beach and cause a stir
Most of the beaches are currently closed. In some places, people ignore the ban. In Sicily, for example, pictures of crowded beaches and people in the sea caused a sensation. Palermo's Mayor Leoluca Orlando spoke of irresponsible behavior. "We mustn't risk life in such a delicate phase," he said on Facebook. Sicily, like other regions in the south, is not severely affected by Covid-19 lung disease.
Update, May 10, 9:52 a.m .: Italy reports the lowest percentage increase in new infections since the onset of the corona crisis. The Italian daily Il fatto Quotidiano reports . On Saturday, it announced that 1,083 new cases had been discovered within 24 hours , 502 of them in Lombardy.
Nevertheless, 194 new deaths related to Covid-19 were reported. In total, this number rose to 30,395 . A total of 218,268 people in Italy are now infected with the novel corona virus. This number currently includes those who tested positive, recovered and fatalities. The number of infected people has increased by 0.49 percent.
At the same time, the paper speaks of a “boom in the cured” : 4008 new cases were reported in 24 hours in which the virus was defeated. The total number increases to more than 100,000 people who have recovered . According to the report, the number of intensive care patients is also declining: 1,034 corona people are currently being treated in intensive care units in Italy - 134 fewer than on Friday.
Corona in Italy: new study shows dramatic mortality
Update, May 9, 8:35 p.m .: Positive news from Italy : The number of new infections fell from 1327 on Friday (May 8) to 1083 on Saturday (May 9). A total of 218,286 corona cases are reported.
Italy also reports fewer deaths for the third day in a row . The last time there were 194 new deaths, reports the civil protection authority. There were 243 on Friday and 274 on Thursday. The total number of deaths officially linked to Covid-19 is now 30,395.
Corona in Italy: More than 30,000 fatalities - New study shows dramatic mortality
Update, 6:23 p.m .: Italy has reported more than 30,000 deaths in the wake of the corona pandemic . The number rose by about 240 to 30,201 victims, said the civil defense in Rome today (May 8) . However, the number of new infections has been declining for some time. Total now 217,185 people with the have coronavirus infected. However, experts repeatedly point out that the number of unreported cases is far higher. Death statistics also indicate that there are significantly more deaths.
The government has given the dwindling number of cases strict curfews slightly loosened. However, some regions do not go far enough. From now on, the entire retail trade in South Tyrol should be allowed to open again. Next Monday (May 11th) bars , restaurants , hairdressers , museums and much more may follow.
Corona in Italy: new study shows dramatic mortality - up to 578 percent
Update of May 8, 9:39 a.m .: The military trucks that drove through the Italian city of Bergamo in caravans at night were the horror that Europe brought to its knees in the coronavirus pandemic. After weeks of disaster, conditions in Italy are slowly coming back under control. After Great Britain, Italy is the most affected country in Europe.
Around 213,000 corona infections have been reported in Italy so far. An estimated 30,000 people have died as a result of the pandemic. But the consequences of the pandemic have claimed many more victims in individual municipalities. That also reports Focus.de .
According to a study by the national statistics office Istat now published, the mortality rate in Bergamo from the coronavirus pandemic is said to be 578 percent. 6866 of a total of 7904 Italian municipalities were compared for the study. The mortality rate of the municipalities in the period from February 20 to March 31, 2020 was compared with the average death rate from 2015 to 2019.
Skeptics and critics stand out with their opinions during the Corona crisis. Was the lockdown necessary in this form?
Corona virus in Italy: over-mortality in some communities dramatic
While an average of 65,000 people died in this period in the past four years, in 2020 more than 90,000 deaths were counted in the municipalities. Around 25,000 more deaths than in previous years. According to this, there is an over-mortality rate of 38 percent in the first Corona high phase in Italy . However, it is much higher in the corona hotspots. The province of Bergamo with 578 percent mortality is followed by Cremona (391 percent mortality), Lodi (371 percent), Brescia (291 percent) and Piacenza (264 percent). In the less affected areas in southern Italy, mortality has meanwhile decreased in some municipalities.
It should be noted that the coronavirus pandemic has claimed far more victims than the virus itself. People have died not only as a result of Covid 19 disease. Patients with severe pre-existing conditions died from the consequences of the same because their bodies were too weak to cope with the additional burden of the viral disease. Others died from the massive overloading of the health system . Firstly, because the clinics called for treatment only if the symptoms were clear and patients simply did not see a doctor . On the other hand, because the clinics in some areas were so overloaded that not all patients could be treated appropriately.
In Germany , too , the easing debate about the corona measures dominates the political agenda. Chancellor Angela Merkel was unable to assert herself in the dispute with the country heads over easing after the corona lockdown. That is a good thing, comments Munich's Merkur *. In addition, the currently closed EU borders are causing criticism. Bavaria is now also talking about opening the borders * in the south and east. Federal Interior Minister Seehofer wants to decide on it next week *. That would mean: before Pentecost holidays.
Corona in Italy: pressure on government grows - restaurant owners go on the barricades
Update from May 7, 2:45 p.m .: The churches in Italy can again celebrate services with believers from May 18 . This was announced by the government in Rome and the Catholic Bishops' Conference CEI. Both sides have signed an agreement that also includes security measures to protect against infection . The churches should use staff to control access to the places of worship and ensure that there is always enough distance between people during masses. The church buildings should also be specially cleaned.
The Catholic Church was the end of April violently against general easing decisions of the government to the corona locks protested because the services were initially banned. The Ministry of the Interior in Rome said that it is also in discussion with other religious communities in the country about similar regulations.
Virologist Drosten and hundreds of colleagues are warning of fake news and massively criticizing Facebook, Google and Twitter.
Corona in Italy: pressure on government grows - restaurant owners go on the barricades
Update, May 7, 1:25 pm: In Italy , the pressure on the government is growing. Many Italians demand that bars, restaurants and hairdressers reopen earlier than June 1st. Given the declining number of people currently infected with the Coronavirus *, many of the 20 Italian regions are demanding more speed from Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte .
On Wednesday (May 6), restaurant owners in Milan demonstrated against corona restrictions . They put empty chairs on the Piazza Sempione - as a sign of the often threatened bankruptcy due to lost sales. A few weeks ago, restaurateurs in Munich drew attention to themselves with a similar campaign *. In Tuscany and Venice there was also this week protests. People from traffic, trade and tourism were involved.
The regions advocate a geographically differentiated approach. Some areas have already loosened individual regulations on their own: For example, Abruzzo allows hairdressers and beauty salons to work from May 18. The regional heads argue that there are large zones in Italy in which hardly any new infections are registered.
Prime Minister Conte said several times that they are checking whether restaurants , for example , are allowed to open to guests two weeks earlier . They have been allowed to go out-of-home sales since 4 May .
Corona in Italy: turning point now reached? Two numbers give hope - confusion about easing
Update, May 6, 10:10 p.m .: According to calculations by ntv.de, a turning point has now been reached in Italy. For example, the number of people acutely infected with the coronavirus has dropped below the number of those recovered for the first time.
Based on the figures from Johns Hopkins University , 91,528 people are acutely infected with the corona virus. 93,245 people have survived the coronavirus and are healthy again.
In Italy, a total of 214,457 people have been infected since the onset of the coronavirus outbreak , 29,684 people have died of Covid-19 (as of May 6, 10:10 p.m.).
Corona virus in Italy: ice cream parlors and cafs are allowed to offer ice cream to take away
Update, May 6th, 12.07: Ice cream parlors and cafés in Italy can now again offer ice cream to take away. To ensure the protective measures, the ice is driven through long holes in an acrylic glass wall using long plastic tongs. Sellers wear protective helmets with plastic visors, gloves and respirators . Ice cream may only be taken in plastic tubs, not in waffles or cups as before.
Italy's ice tradition in the time of the corona virus.
© dpa / Annette Reuther
Since last Monday (May 4th), around 60 million Italians have gained more freedom: they can go for a walk or do sports outdoors. Bars , restaurants and ice cream parlors can now offer take-away again . Finally, in June, coffee bars, pastry shops and restaurants are open to visitors again.
Corona in Italy: Italian car company writes billions in losses - confusion about easing
Update of May 5, 4.30 p.m .: Great gratitude in the coronavirus pandemic .
As the Leipziger Volkszeitung (LVZ) reports, the Italian corona patient Felice Perani was released earlier this week from a clinic in the Saxon city - healed and recovered.
"If I had not come here, I would be dead now," said the 57-year-old, who lives near the region around Bergamo, which was badly affected by the corona pandemic .
With three other seriously ill Covid-19 patients , the Lombard had been flown from northern Italy to Saxony at the end of March and treated there with intensive care. Perani was the only one of the four patients to survive Covid 19 disease, according to the LVZ - for him it was now back home.
Corona crisis in Italy: Confusion about easing curfew
Update of May 5, 3:30 p.m .: In Italy , curfew easing has applied since this week .
As Spiegel Online writes, citizens are still only allowed to leave their homes under certain conditions. The police would continue to strictly monitor the situation from the air using drones.
Still in use: the Italian police use drones to monitor cities to prevent crowds.
© dpa / Mauro Scrobogna
But at least the Italians are allowed to visit their relatives again. Curious: Friends are not allowed to meet the citizens - actually. Because: Meetings with people with whom there is a “stable emotional connection” are possible.
What exactly is a "stable emotional connection" is not defined more precisely - which consequently caused trouble. Italy obviously still has to get used to the freedoms that have been regained after the massive lockdown, including extensive interventions in the rights of the freedom.
Corona in Italy: huge loss for Fiat Chrysler
Update from May 5, 2 p.m .: Tangible economic consequences: The Italian-American automaker Fiat Chrysler has slipped deep into the red due to the Corona crisis , among other things .
Accordingly, the loss in the first quarter of 2020 was around 1.7 billion euros. At the same time in the previous year, the group had generated a profit of 619 million euros.
Because of Corona: Heavy safety precautions at a Fiat plant in Atessa in Abruzzo.
© AFP / VINCENZO PINTO
But: The corona virus pandemic quickly caused an impairment of business units of several hundred million euros, it is said. The group pointed out that liquidity was still secured - the available funds were around 18.6 billion euros.
The automotive giant employs thousands of people at its locations in Melfi, Pomigliano, Cassino, Mirafiori Carrozzerie, Grugliasco, Atessa and Modena .
First announcement of May 4: The extent of the coronavirus pandemic in Italy can be grasped ever more clearly by means of numbers and statistics.
Corona in Italy: More people died of coronavirus infections
As reported by the National Statistics Institute ( Istat ) and the Research Institute of the Italian Health Service ( ISS ) on Monday, the number of deaths in the Mediterranean country rose by 49.4 percent compared to the March months of 2015 to 2019.
Between February 20, when Italy reported the first corona death , and March 31, the increase was 38.7 percent.
Today we join forces in the global fight against coronavirus. Italy is proud to contribute to accelerate the development, production and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics by supporting @WHO, @CEPIvaccines, @GAVI. #UnitedAgainstCoronavirus
- Giuseppe Conte (@GiuseppeConteIT) May 4, 2020The so-called mortality rate is measured. This could now indicate that significantly more people have died from the consequences of a coronavirus infection in Italy than officially registered.
By Sunday evening, May 3, the authorities had reported nearly 29,000 deaths from Covid 19 disease .
Corona in Italy: Many more deaths than in March in previous years
But these are mainly deceased patients in hospitals, the authorities said.
The northern Italian Bergamo is badly affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
© dpa / Claudio Furlan
How many people died of a corona infection at home is largely unknown.
Alongside the United States and Spain, Italy is one of the countries most severely affected by the Corona crisis. In Germany, the corona requirements are now being relaxed carefully.
According to the surveys now published, 25,354 more people died in March than on average in the five months before March. 13,691, or 54 percent of these additional victims, were clearly infected with the insidious corona virus, according to a statement by Istat and the ISS .
Corona in Italy: healthcare system overwhelmed by coronavirus pandemic
There are therefore three "hypotheses" for the remaining 11,663 fatalities: that they were infected with the pathogen Sars-CoV-2 but were never tested; that they died from the "indirect consequences" of an undetected virus infection because it aggravated their pre-existing conditions; or that they died of other illnesses because the health system was completely overloaded with the coronavirus pandemic .
Follow all developments and trends related to the Corona crisis in Italy here in the news ticker.
pm with material from dpa and AFP
* merkur.de and tz.de are part of the Germany-wide Ippen-Digital editors network
List of rubric lists: © dpa / Alberto Lingria