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A father hugs his sick son - actually a normal gesture.
But in times of Corona, human closeness becomes a specialty for patients.
Because of the risk of infection, hospital patients are not allowed to receive visits from friends and relatives and have to remain alone in isolation.
Even over Christmas.
In order to still allow closeness over the holidays, there are plastic walls in some places, like here in a hospital in Rome, that separate the visitors from the patients.
Amalia Allocca, Director of the San Raffaele Pisana Hospital
»COVID-19 forces us to keep our distance from one another, to always wear a protective mask. I believe that right now the tent helps them to find that human warmth that Christmas symbolizes for many. "
Elsewhere, however, patients only have contact with medical staff.
Luca Triolo, Director of the Lung Department, San Filippo Neri Hospital
“Most important are our patients, who are in a state of complete isolation from the outside world and who will spend these days in solitude. It will be our job and that of all medical professionals to support these people. "
Since the beginning of the pandemic, almost two million people in Italy have been infected with Covid-19 and almost 70,000 have died.
An enormous burden for the medical staff.
And for them too, this Christmas will be different.
Luca Triolo, Director of the Lung Department, San Filippo Neri Hospital
«Unfortunately this year we will experience a Christmas that we have never experienced before. For us the situation will not change significantly, our activity will remain the same as we have done so far. It will only have a strong impact on the families of the employees, as the shifts in the hospital will require a higher number of employees than in previous years. So it will have a negative impact on the ability to be with our families. "
Most Italians are eagerly waiting to finally be vaccinated.
The start date for this is December 27th throughout the EU.
Around three weeks after the world's first COVID-19 vaccine was given in the UK.