Corona virus alert in Italy: government takes draconian measures - including in the medical sector

The situation in Italy after the Corona outbreak remains serious. Many citizens worry that tourism will suffer a massive slump. Parliament decides to take drastic steps.

• The Sars-CoV-2 * coronavirus is spreading in Italy .
• Northern Italy in particular is severely affected by Covid-19 .
• The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) has now classified a region as a risk area.
  

Update from 4:01 p.m .: In the fight against the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus , the Italian parliament has recalled retirees from all over the country. The government began reactivating healthcare professionals nationwide. The measure is part of a new emergency program that was decided at a cabinet crisis meeting that lasted into the night. According to this, a total of 20,000 new employees will be hired for the health system.

Coronavirus: highest increase in Italy since the epidemic began

The 20,000 new hires are said to be 5,000 specialized doctors , 15,000 nurses and other helpers . According to the decisions of the cabinet, the number of beds in intensive care units is to be increased from 5000 to 7500 in the coming days. There are currently 462 intensive care units in Italy due to Covid-19 lung disease .

The death toll had risen to 197 on Friday. That was 49 more than on Thursday, which is the highest jump since the virus first appeared in Italy . The number of people infected was 4,636 on Friday. Italy is the country with the most infections in the EU. The government has already taken several draconian measures to combat the epidemic. Among other things, the country's schools and universities will remain closed until mid-March.

Coronavirus: Video journalist with a face mask at a press conference in Italy. (Icon image)

© dpa / Roberto Monaldo.Lapress

The corona crisis has de facto brought life to a halt in the affected regions. Tourism, one of the most important sources of income, has fallen massively across the country. Experts are therefore afraid of falling into the recession.

Coronavirus in Italy: government and Pope take extraordinary measures

Update 2:31 pm: As a rule, Pope Francis speaks on Sundays from the window to the faithful on St. Peter's Square in Rome - but currently not. The 83-year-old head of the Catholic Church wants to hold his traditional Angelus prayer this Sunday from his library. This will be broadcast live on screens on St. Peter's Square, said the Vatican.

This is how the "risk of spreading" of the coronavirus should be contained. The Pope had previously canceled several appointments because of a cold , but a test for the coronavirus showed, according to a newspaper report, that he was not infected. So far there has been an infection in the Vatican.

Meanwhile, the head of Rome's Social Democrats, Nicola Zingaretti , has tested positive for the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus. He is fine, but he must first remain in quarantine at home, the 54-year-old said in a Facebook video .

Coronavirus alert in Italy: government takes extraordinary measure - judiciary takes a break

Update of March 7, 11:06 a.m .: Italy has taken the next far-reaching step in the bitter struggle against the rapid spread of the corona virus - which represents a temporary state of emergency in the country. At first, educational institutions and cultural institutions had been closed. To protect against Sars-CoV-2 infections, restrictions in the judicial system, such as trials and other public appointments, are now planned. The government announced in early Saturday morning in Rome.

Trials on less serious crimes should therefore be postponed. The details should be decided on site in individual cases. According to media reports, urgent matters should be excluded from this measure. About arrests, for example. Hearings in the form of video conferences are also possible, explained Justice Minister Alfonso Bonafede.

From now on, the work of the judicial offices will be suspended for two weeks - as during the summer break - the La Repubblica newspaper quotes the minister. From March 23, the new options for postponing individual processes will apply.

Coronavirus alarm Italy: South Tyrol classified as a risk area - the death toll suddenly increases

Update of March 6, 2020, 6:29 p.m .: The number of coronavirus infections and deaths in Italy is increasing steadily despite extensive countermeasures. A total of 4,636 people are now infected, civil defense said in Rome on Friday. The previous evening there were still around 3800. 197 people have died so far - an increase of around 50 cases compared to the previous day. The regions of Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna are most affected. In South Tyrol - which Germany now classifies as a risk area - there are four infected people.

Children brought back from South Tyrol due to corona danger.

© dpa / Markus Gehle

Update of March 6, 2020, 2:54 p.m .: There is now a first coronavirus case in the Vatican. In the Vatican Clinic, a patient tested positive for the new type of corona virus on Thursday, as Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said on Friday.

Corona virus in Italy: South Tyrol amazes at Germany

Update from March 6, 2020, 2:47 p.m .: South Tyrol reacted with misunderstanding to the classification as a coronavirus risk area by Germany. The province in northern Italy complies with all national and international requirements for testing for the pathogen of the new lung disease, a spokeswoman for the governor Arno Kompscher said in Bozen to the news agency dpa. South Tyrol itself has so far only registered two Sars CoV-2 cases of infection . One of them has not yet been confirmed by the relevant authorities in Rome. The second person is already on the way to recovery.

Coronavirus outbreak in Italy: Federal Foreign Office updates travel advice

Update of March 6, 2020, 1:09 p.m .: The Federal Foreign Office has updated the travel and safety information for Italy and is now advising against traveling to South Tyrol . "It is currently not advisable to travel to the regions of South Tyrol, Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy as well as to the city of Vo in the province of Padua in the Veneto region," the Foreign Office website reads.

Corona virus alert in Italy: South Tyrol classified as a risk area

First report from March 6, 2020

Berlin - According to the EU authority ECDC, the number of coronavirus infections in Europe rose to around 4,200 cases on Thursday. The epicenter is Italy. According to civil defense, there are 148 dead and more than 3800 infected in Italy alone (as of March 6, 2019).

#Italy #Corona virus
Italian Government orders that all sporting events must take place without an audience by April 3, 2018 https://t.co/PgNl8mILv8

After Italy had already closed schools and universities across the country, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) classified South Tyrol as a risk area on Thursday evening. In addition, the Italian regions of Emilia-Romagna , Lombardy and the city ​​of Vo in the province of Padua in the Veneto region are also considered risk areas - as are regions in China, South Korea and Iran.

Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 risk areas according to the RKI

• In China: Hubei Province (including Wuhan City)
• In Iran: Qom Province, Tehran
• In Italy: South Tyrol, Emilia-Romagna region, Lombardy region and the city of Vo in the province of Padua in the Veneto region.
• In South Korea: Gyeongsangbuk-do Province (North Gyeongsang)

The Robert Koch Institute defines risk areas as follows: "Risk areas are areas in which continued transmission from person to person (" ongoing community transmission ") can be suspected. To determine this, the Robert Koch Institute uses various indicators (including the frequency of illnesses "Dynamics of the daily reported number of cases, measures (eg quarantine of entire cities or areas), exported cases to other countries / regions. The situation is reassessed every day, the risk areas are adjusted if necessary."

Corona virus in the EU: do the borders remain open?

Despite the rapid spread of the corona virus, Health Minister Jens Spahn is against travel restrictions * within the European Union. "I still find any measure that leads to the restriction of travel traffic across the border, given what we know about the virus status today, not appropriate," said the CDU politician on Friday before a special EU meeting in Brussels. "And if we had a consensus there today, I would find it an important signal."

dpa / ml

* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.