How is Italy doing these days with Covid-19 cases? This is a question I’m frequently asked by friends. Even though I did not and will not go to Italy in 2020, I still keep up with the news, and the general answer is “Quite well.” While numbers have been surging in France, Spain and other European countries, new cases in Italy remain relatively low and stable.
Clare Speak, reporter for the Italian newsletter The
Local, notes: “While everyone in Italy is no doubt thankful that the feared
“second wave” of contagion has not yet
materialised, many are wondering why the country has been less affected while
neighbouring France and Spain suffer higher numbers of infections,
hospitalisations, and deaths. Italy is now seeing around 1,500 new cases daily,
while France and Spain have each reported up to 10,000 cases in a day.”
GRAPHS SHOW DAILY CHANGE IN FOUR EUROPEAN COUNTRIES. GRAPHS PUBLISHED SEPT. 21, 2020.
Speak writes that the explanation is likely to be a
combination of good testing and tracing systems, strictly-enforced safety
rules, and the fact that Italy closed everything earlier and reopened later
than in nearby countries. She cites Dr Nino Cartabellotta, a leading Italian
public health expert, professor and president of the Gruppo Italiano per
la Medicina Basata sulle Evidenza.
“There is no evidence that individual and social
behaviors like the use of masks, social distancing, or no gatherings, have been
better in Italy than elsewhere,” he told Speak. “The timely, rigorous and
prolonged lockdown has worked better here in Italy than in other countries that
have hesitated to close, closed less, and reopened earlier.”
He credited Italy’s closure with “reducing mortality,
hospital admissions, and the number of new cases to a greater extent than in
other European countries.”
Italy and Spain were initially among the
worst-affected countries when the coronavirus struck Europe. Both countries put
strict lockdowns into place, but infections in Spain have surged since the
lockdown measures were fully removed at the end of June. Italy’s currently far
lower rate of infections may be partly explained by the fact it simply reopened
many things later.
Speak reports that schools in Italy only began
reopening on Sept. 14, and in many regions, they’re still closed. Spain
reopened schools at the beginning of September, and in France classes gradually
restarted from May. Meanwhile the Italian government only relaxed a total ban
on spectators at sporting events last week Friday, allowing up to 1,000 fans
per game. France allows far larger crowds, with 11,500 per day attending
the French Open in Paris.
Italy having a longer and stricter lockdown than other
countries gave it an advantage upon reopening, Cartabellotta said. However,
he added that Italy “lost some of its advantage” to some “non-virtuous” behavior
in the country over summer.
Italy started gradually easing lockdown rules from
May, but many restrictions still remain in place, while other rules were added
or reinstated over summer amid concerns that holidaymakers were fuelling the
spread of the virus. Italy recently announced that rules will not be eased
until at least Oct. 31. Italian politicians have attributed the lower infection
rate to successful testing and tracing and a reinforced national health system.
“Italy’s national health service has become much
stronger,” health minister Roberto Speranza said in August, maintaining that
outbreaks are “under control” at current levels, as their origins can be
traced.
Those who fear they may have symptoms can get
prescription from their doctor for a rapid (and free) test with only a short
wait. For those who test positive, their contacts can be traced and tested
within days, preventing further spread, partly thanks to adequate coverage of
the country’s contact-tracing app.
It is still not possible for Americans to travel to
Italy for vacations, and it is unknown when that ban will be lifted. While Lucy
and I could return because we have residency, and we usually do go to
Montecarlo for a month in the fall, we would have to undergo a 14-day
quarantine period. It hardly seems worthwhile to go there for a month and spend
half the time in quarantine. We also don’t feel it’s a good idea to spend 15
hours on an airplane and transit through several airports—so for now we will
stay put in the United States and follow our own safety procedures. Italy will
still be there, and absence makes the heart grow fonder.
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| Our sealing crew, keeping safe from COVID-19 (and the recent smoke from wildfires). |
