With 228 cases reported, Italian officials are scrambling to contain Europe's first major outbreak of the coronavirus. Ten towns were locked down in a northern region of the country.
NOEL KING, HOST:
Italy is dealing with a sudden COVID-19 outbreak. Seven people have died, and there are 230 cases at this point. It could mean trouble for Italy's economy, but it already means that Italians are feeling isolated from the rest of the world. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli is there.
SYLVIA POGGIOLI, BYLINE: Two virus clusters are in the north, Italy's financial and industrial heartland. Eleven towns in the Lombardy and Veneto regions are under quarantine, sealed off by police checkpoints. In Milan, a city of three million, schools, movie theaters, museums, cafes and bars are closed for a week. Usually one of Europe's most vibrant cities with an intense nightlife, Milan is surreal, empty and silent. On Monday, the Milan stock market plunged, and businesses started to hurt. In Rome, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte acknowledged the impact could be very strong.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRIME MINISTER GIUSEPPE CONTE: (Through interpreter) We are not yet in a position to forecast what will happen, but we are ready to cope with this economic emergency and do everything possible to lessen its negative impact.
POGGIOLI: Today, Conte will meet governors of the affected regions in an effort to stem growing panic. Already, Matteo Salvini, leader of the opposition, hard-right League Party, accused Conte of not defending Italy and Italians, claiming African migrants are bringing the virus into the country. Conte reacted with contempt.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
CONTE: (Through interpreter) The opposition leader has the obligation to refrain from voicing stupidities and must stop exploiting an issue of national concern.
POGGIOLI: Some Italians travelling abroad are being singled out. A bus from Milan was barricaded by police in the French city of Lyon for health checks. And an Alitalia plane that landed in Mauritius was sent back. Several countries - including Israel, Ireland and Greece - advise their citizens not to visit Italy. While some Italians call the quarantines draconian, Doctor Roberto Burioni, a virologist, says isolation is the only way to stop contagion.
ROBERTO BURIONI: (Through interpreter) In about 10 days, we will hopefully see the efficacy of the sacrifices our citizens are now making in those isolated towns.
POGGIOLI: Reporters can't get into the lockdown area, but residents are communicating with the outside through social media.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
ROBERTO: (Speaking Italian).
POGGIOLI: In this Facebook video, Roberto and his wife, Alice, describe their daily lives. "We're in the center of the red zone," says Roberto. "We don't go where there are crowds, we keep to ourselves," adds Alice, "we're on a kind of forced vacation." Some posts sound like a contemporary spin on "The Decameron," Giovanni Boccaccio's 14th-century tale of a group of young men and women who, sheltering from the plague, tell each other stories of love, sex and jokes, like this young unidentified man.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Speaking Italian).
POGGIOLI: "I just want to tell you, coronavirus, be careful, sweetheart, because we're going to beat you to a pulp."
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Speaking Italian).
POGGIOLI: "Ciao, everyone. See you after quarantine."
Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News, Rome.
(SOUNDBITE OF THE ACORN'S "RETURN TO BLACKNESS (FOR GB)")
Copyright © 2020 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
"impact" - Google News
February 25, 2020 at 05:06PM
https://ift.tt/3c6Dr7e
Italy Struggles With The Impact Of The Coronavirus Outbreak - NPR
"impact" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2RIFll8
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Italy Struggles With The Impact Of The Coronavirus Outbreak - NPR"
Post a Comment