Aart Heering
A specter haunts Italy, the specter of the Coronavirus (Covid-19). In just 2 days, fear of the epidemic has gripped the country. And that while everything seemed to be going well last week.
Corona had caught 2 Chinese tourists and an Italian scientist working in China, but made no indigenous victims.
On Friday it was announced that a man from Lombardy who had never been to China was found to be infected. Since then, the alarming reports have followed like a tornado raging across the country, with profound consequences for residents not only in the affected area in the north but also in the rest of Italy.
More than 200 infections
In 2 days more than 200 people are in Lombardy and Veneto have been found to be infected, and as I write this I know that there will be more now, and will be many more.
There are also already 5 deaths, although these are people who were already seriously ill without Corona. Anyway, the sluice is open and the authorities are trying manfully to stem the flow.
The centers of infection in Lombardy and Veneto, the so-called 'red zone', are hermetically sealed and men of the Civil protection (the Department of Civil Protection) guard the entrances.
Museums and schools closed, carnival canceled
Throughout northern Italy, museums, schools and universities have been closed and all sporting, cultural and religious events cancelled, including the Carnival of Venice.
A case has already been reported in Milan and the mayor advises citizens to stay at home as much as possible. At Milan Fashion Week, Armani and Valentino showed their collections behind closed doors. School trips and outings have been canceled throughout the country for the time being. Austria stops Italian trains at the Brenner Pass for fear of Corona. All that while the diligent search for 'Patient 0', the man or woman who introduced the disease to Italy, is still fruitless.
Media
The media carries a continuous stream of news about the epidemic throughout the day. The number of infections is updated hour by hour and the authorities, with Prime Minister Conte in first person, keep TV viewers closely informed of any new measure.
Virologists add reassuringly that Corona in itself is not fatal, but that message quickly sinks into a sea of troubling messages. Also because of the enormous material damage that the virus can cause, with factories that have to close, company fairs that are cancelled, tourism that is in danger of going upside down, and so on. Entrepreneurial organization Confcommercio estimates the possible damage at 5 billion euros.
Panic reactions
In this situation of anxious tension we also have to deal with all kinds of panic reactions. For example, there is hoarding on a large scale and the mouth caps have of course been sold out for a long time.
The tourist island of Ischia wants to ban people from Lombardy, Veneto and China. The Basilicata region wants to oblige travelers from Lombardy and Veneto to remain in quarantine for 2 weeks.
According to the Orthodox Catholic radio station Radio Maria 'the apocalypse has already begun'. A Chinese woman has been beaten up in Turin and you don't want to know what racist shit is being poured out on social media about foreigners in general and Chinese in particular.
No new cases of infection have yet been reported in Rome, but it is certainly not impossible that the virus will soon cross the Siegfried Line and throw social and economic life into disarray here too.
So is in Rome is a series competitions Canceled: Public mass exams for government jobs, which applicants often wait years for.
On Sunday I was at a cycling event where a large number of participants dropped out for fear of contamination.
The Roman newspaper The messenger reports that museums, cinemas and small shops have received 20% fewer customers in recent days and the so-called 'ethnic shops' even 40-70%. Hotel bookings have also fallen by 20%, but queues are forming in front of the supermarkets.
Neighborhood Chinese
Saturday evening, out of solidarity, I went to eat with our local Chinese. With a Dutch colleague, because my wife, who likes to play for Cassandra and who announces every new job announcement with a triumphant 'I should have said so' look, didn't come along. Fearing the Coronavirus, which could well be transmitted through Chinese food, "because there might be a family member who just came from China working in the kitchen."
Indeed, completely irrational, but more people think like that, and the many empty tables speak volumes. The manager, who has run a thriving business until now, is well on his way to despair: 'On Saturdays it is packed here and I have 6 waiters at work. Now I have enough with 2. The Corona affair is destroying my business. But what can I do? I have lived in Rome for 34 years and speak perfect Italian. Do I have to put on a blank mask?'
⚠️Travel tip: Italy travelers can follow the adapted travel advice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs via www.nederlandworldwide.nl.
That advice is rather general, because the situation is changing rapidly. If you speak Italian, you can also follow the latest developments via the local media.
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