Mortality is close to one-tenth, when is the turning point in Italy to the dark hour?

From national anthem to Pink Floyd, Milanese are singing on the balcony waiting for the epidemic to end

The Italian national anthem has a gentle melody and a long prelude. The morning before yesterday, the residents upstairs played the national anthem with a piano, which gave me an illusion for a while. At that time, I seemed to be watching the game of the Italian national team, and the players appeared to yell out the national anthem.

The epidemic situation is getting increasingly severe, and the dazzling numbers are increasing rapidly: As of March 18, 35,000 people have been diagnosed, 2978 people have died, and the case fatality rate is approaching one-tenth. Italy today is the center of the World Epidemic Center.

The crisis made the Italian national emotions more concrete. Just last Saturday night, Italy Sky Sports replayed the 2006 World Cup finals, the theme of the show was "Italian Pride".

As the Italian Prime Minister Conte said on March 16, he was "very proud" to be able to steer such a great collective at such a delicate and critical time point.

Two voices in the epidemic
The National Anthem Against Pneumonia became a national hotspot event in Italy last weekend. The epidemic has developed so quickly and the mortality rate is high. The Italians have been unconcerned from the beginning and become a little panicked. The singing sound on the balcony at this time really injected confidence into the people.

But in the new week, the frequency of the national anthem sounded significantly reduced. People played Pink Floyd and moved the open-air concert on Milan Cathedral Square on weekdays to their doorstep.

A woman plays the accordion on a balcony in Milan, Italy

However, the Italian national anthem "Song of Mamelli" is fine, as is Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon". Music can't hide another disturbing voice. These days, I have been staying at my home in Milan. The ambulance sounds I heard are more frequent than usual. Behind these voices is the increasingly severe epidemic situation in Milan. Of course, it should be pointed out that the throat swab test in Italy can be performed on-site, so a considerable part of these ambulances may actually carry nurses to test the citizens, not all of them are vehicles that rescue critical patients.

Much more severe than the Milan epidemic, neighboring Bergamo and Brescia, the former being even worse. According to locals, the sound of ambulances has been ringing from morning till night. A few days ago, a sad video was circulated on the domestic network. The content was an obituary published in Bergamo's local "Echo", which usually occupied only 1-2 pages of the newspaper page, but it had reached 10 pages during the epidemic.

A masked funeral worker in Bergamo, Italy

Bergamo itself is not far away from the outbreak of Codonho. The area has a large number of elderly people. The epidemic has suffered considerable losses. The locals shouted: "Protect our old people. They created the economic miracles of Italy in the 1960s and 1970s and ensured our good lives today. They are not just old people-as if they are no longer useful to society, They are ancestors and parents. Thank them, we can live here today. "

Why is the epidemic particularly severe in Bergamo and Brescia? I asked a few local friends. One theory that everyone believes is that the region has close business relations with Germany, and Germany's industrial cooperation and trade with China are far better than Italy. Earlier in Italy, the 38-year-old man named M from Cordonio was unanimously identified as "patient No. 1". Today, more people are beginning to believe that there is actually more than one "Patient No. 1" in Italy, and the time of infection is about the same. The "Patient No. 0" in Europe is a German in his 30s. Already showing symptoms.

Some Italians believe that in the early stages of the development of the epidemic in Italy, all attention and response were focused on Cotonio, the town of Lodi and the surrounding area, and the lack of pre-judgment of potential dangers in Bergamo and other areas in northern Italy Wasted prime time to fight the epidemic.

The bad news on March 17 made the Italians' hearts tighten. All 80 ICU beds in the Bergamo designated hospital have been fully occupied. Italy's Minister of Civil Protection Borelli said in this regard that it will build a new cabin hospital in Bergamo. Lombardy is densely populated, with insufficient bed resources, and medical resources are approaching their limits. These days, a slogan from the Italian medical staff collectively said: "We are on the road, but please stay at home" (Noi stiamo in corsia, ma voi state a casa), together with the work photos full of scars on their faces The swipe of the Italian network touched the people, but it also showed that in the face of an extremely fierce epidemic, Italy's most developed area is already in a state of war.

Medical staff showing signs

Moreover, in the eyes of many experts and the public, the current number of infected people is still seriously underestimated. In Lombardy, where resources are scarce, test strips will only be issued to people who have a more serious illness and who have had contact with a confirmed patient. A friend who knows has a fever these days, his temperature has reached nearly 39 degrees, and he is a physician, and he has not been able to get a test strip test.

Internal medicine expert Nino Cartabellotta said that the actual number of infected people in Italy should have reached 100,000. Such a caliber can also explain the extremely high mortality rate (approximately 10%) of Italy's new crown patients. A group of comparisons: Most of the Lombardy tests are highly suspect, so nearly two-thirds of confirmed patients are admitted to the hospital for treatment, and the mortality rate is more than 10%. In contrast, the neighboring Veneto region, Using a carpet-like test method similar to South Korea, many patients are mild, the proportion of patients admitted to the hospital does not exceed 30%, and the mortality rate is also less than 3%.

Milan War Plague Living Experience

What about Milan? Mayor Giuseppe Sala emphasized that the steady increase in the number of infections is very important because Milan's health system will collapse if the number of patients explodes. Milan's statistics and situation are not as shocking as Bergamo's, but the development situation is not optimistic. As of March 17, the cumulative number of infections in Milan Province has reached 2,326, four times the number a week ago.

At the end of February at the beginning of the outbreak, Giuseppe Sara's slogan was "Milano non si ferma". Such slogans represented the aspirations of many people in Milan at that time, and once swept the local media. As the number of infected people soared, the slogan was eventually replaced by "Io resto a casa". As the CEO of the Expo Organizing Committee in 2015, Sarah has performed well in the new Milan mayor and won the hearts and minds of Milan citizens, but this time, his aggressiveness and lack of foresight made many previous supporters unable to sit still. Already.

Now, Milan and Italy as a whole have to stop. On March 9, Prime Minister Conte announced that entire Italy was placed in the "Red Zone". Except for supermarkets, pharmacies and tobacco shops (not only selling tobacco, but also various types of tickets, stamps, etc.), all restaurants, bars, clothing stores and other "non-essential" shops are prohibited from opening their doors. Although the supermarket is still open, according to the requirements of epidemic prevention and hygiene, people need to form a long line at the entrance of the supermarket. The distance between people is one meter. The flow of people inside the supermarket is controlled. The citizens of Milan make a purchase and wait long outside the supermarket. Team.

The pharmacy in Milan opens normally, but the glass says: "No mask" and "Only two people can enter at a time"

Under this circumstance, Italians who don't usually like online shopping have also started to take out the idea of ​​takeaway. Italian favorite local supermarket chain Esselunga is of high quality and low price. Many Italians who have never participated in online shopping before have flocked to the supermarket's official website to snap up goods. The good news is that the supply of materials is still sufficient for the time being, and there is almost no shortage. In this outbreak, food production companies have not stopped production, which has given people a reassurance.

Most of the Italian merchants have not experienced such a large-scale online shopping, and I have therefore experienced a cancellation order: more than 100 euros, most of which are just needed food, which was cancelled on the day of the agreed delivery time. The reason is that the supermarket's inventory system is unable to cope with the intensity of the rush buying caused by the epidemic. Fortunately, there is a Chinese supermarket. On the online shopping platform, several major Chinese merchants will open the purchase channel from time to time for a period of ten minutes, which will test the speed of customers' online selection. Some "lucky kids" grabbed the goods and successfully placed the order. Contactless delivery can be made that night or the next day.

Interior of a supermarket in Milan, Italy

Of course, I clearly know that this "lucky" is not only about grabbing goods, but also in the convenient metropolis of Milan. There are many take-out platforms and supermarkets to choose from. I also know how to use them quickly as a young person. E-commerce, to help their own epidemic. Some of my friends live in small cities with a population of less than 50,000, or simply live on the hills of the countryside in the northeastern part of Italy. They can only go out and buy by themselves.

Even in Milan, there are marginalized people. A few days ago, a Milanese tramp of Ukrainian origin was diagnosed with a new crown and caused some media attention. There are about 3,000 tramps in Milan. Many of them live in the streets near the cathedral. The epidemic is currently empty in the city center, they have cut off their financial resources, and the welfare of the "daily bread" collection point has been temporarily closed due to restrictions on the flow of people. They were confused: "The government kept us at home, but we were homeless." The mayor of Rome, Romaji, said in an interview: "I am with all the people who are suffering, including those who work undercover." The media response was uproar.

In a supermarket in Milan, no one is lined up, there is no protective measures for beggars at the door

It's hard for Italians to walk

Conte's response to the war epidemic is quite firm: On March 16, the government passed an executive order called Cura Italia, which plans to allocate about 25 billion euros for relief. This plan covers all aspects: employees who stick to their posts will receive a bonus of 100 euros this month; there are many small and medium-sized enterprises in Italy, and many companies cannot work remotely. For this reason, the government prohibits companies from actively layoffs in the next two months. Employees who have not worked hard, open a temporary unemployment insurance for a period of up to nine weeks. During this period, they can enjoy 50% -80% of the original salary of the monthly unemployment insurance; for the self-employed, the government will give a one-time 600 Euro subsidies. For shops that are unable to operate and have to pay the monthly rent, the government announced that 60% of the rent in March can be used to offset the tax in the future; in addition, for many industries that have been particularly affected by the epidemic, such as agriculture, animal husbandry and fishery, shipping and rental passenger transport , All have special funding support.

The top of the Yuxin Bank building in the centre of Milan, decorated with the Italian flag in three colors

Conte stressed that the anti-epidemic measures being taken by the Italian government were "very tough." But while the government has made great efforts, he also asked the people to cooperate in fighting the epidemic. With the entire territory of Italy designated as a "red zone" on March 9, the government's executive order came down immediately, and all personnel would not be able to do so unless they were in a necessary purpose, such as work and medical care.

It's not just a blockade: you can't even leave your home without a valid reason. Going to the supermarket is certainly possible, but only to the supermarket closest to home; another legitimate reason is to walk the dog, but the scope is also limited to the neighborhood near the house-many Italians are joking, hoping to "rent a dog" Go out.

But before everyone leaves the house, they need to fill out a form to prove their legitimate reasons for travelling, their address and destination. On March 16, the form was launched in version 2.0. Travelers also need to self-certify that they do not belong to the quarantine group, and the new coronavirus test is not positive. Italy sent national police, local police, gendarmerie, and fiscal guards to check in, and the punishment was quite severe. If you travel without a valid reason, such as walking downstairs, once the police find out, a fine of more than 200 euros will be waiting for you. If you are in quarantine or a virus carrier, you may face criminal liability.

On the application form, the travel reason, residence address, and destination must be stated on it. You must also prove that you are not a quarantined person and that the virus test is not positive.

The actual implementation of the decree seems to vary from place to place: In regional central cities such as Brescia and Verona, the inspection is quite strict; in Milan, a few friends and I have not encountered a few trips. The person performing the inspection. According to my personal observation, only about 40% of pedestrians on the street wear masks. This proportion will be higher in the supermarket-after all, most people are prepared to go to the supermarket. There are young couples walking with strollers and teenagers playing football in the open space: none of them wear masks.

Under certain circumstances, traffic restrictions even increase the risk of people being infected: After the city is closed, the number of subways in Milan is reduced, the capacity is reduced, and the personnel in individual trains are even quite crowded. The "safe distance" of one meter cannot be guaranteed at all People complained. In response, Mayor Sara said that the epidemic is currently "what you do now is wrong."

Most Italians choose to follow orders and stay at home. Through "Balcony Concert", they showed their optimism and musical talent, and even popularized the Chinese online world. But if the epidemic persists, people will still be trapped at home for a few weeks. Whether they can maintain an optimistic and peaceful mentality and draw a question mark.

In the draft executive order of the Italian government on March 9th, the development of the epidemic situation has been predicted: on March 18th, the number of new infections will reach a peak, and the entire epidemic will cause 9.2 in Italy. Ten thousand people are infected. Such estimates are not pessimistic. Whether the inflection point is approaching in Italy's darkest hour can only be left to verify.