Italy Is Red Zone: Draconic Measures to fight the Covid-19

The first new episode of Montalbano was finally starting yesterday evening. Most of us, in Italy, were ready to watch after dinner our most famous fictional detective in Sicilian Vigata in pursuit of the murderer. The usual commercial break ended, but the news started instead, on our great surprise. The Extraordinary Edition of the news opened on our popular journalist Francesco Giorgino, from the channel RAI1, who in a controlled, yet, excited tone informed his audience that our Premier Giuseppe Conte was on the verge of giving a speech to the entire nation.

We were all attentive, worrying about what he was going to say. Here, in the North of Italy, we had just received our new regulation for the emergency of the COVID-19, better known as Coronavirus, last Sunday, on the Women’s International Day. The Lombardy region and a number of provinces in the North of the country, had been declared RED zone, until the 3rd April, with a series of rules to implement, in order to vanquish this virus.

But now, there he was, our Prime Minister once again on TV, ready to talk to his concerned Italians.

Conte began his speech, staring directly the presents and the listeners at their homes, saying that "this new law, I and the government just signed is called Io resto a casa" (I stay at home).

The new hashtag in Italy #iorestoacasa is the viral appeal launched by Conte’s speech. Finally, all of Italy is in war against the Covid-19. As the world must be grateful to China because they ended the global Coronavirus diffusion, now, it’s Italy that is doing the same favor to Europe and the world.

Italy is implementing draconian measures hard for a democracy like ours, but we all trust that they are the only way to stop the spreading of this infection.

Our Premier addressed all of us because since Sunday, when the North was already declared a Red Zone, which implied that no one could enter or exit anymore the Region unless a special emergency certification was shown, thousands of people, instead, escaped to the Southern regions, where they were from. These were students, workers, teachers, business men that live and work in the Milan area and only go home during vacation times. As soon as the new restrictions were signed and official, in the night, between Saturday and Sunday, they jumped on trains and buses, even with no tickets, before any control had even started. Others took their cars and drove off to South. As we call it in Italy, it was a fuggi-fuggi of frantic and hysterical people.

This ordeal moved the Southern Governors to find immediate and urgent solutions to stop these rebellious people. They threatened them with a possible sue and arrest, especially if they would not come out themselves and wouldn’t stay in quarantine. So, new investigations started to search for these irresponsible escapees.

The emergency situation, at the base of the agreement, was addressed by all political and governmental parties, of which only such an immaterial threat as a virus could unite for opinions, ways, policies, and ideas. Never, as far as we remember, was there such a common intent approved by all, government, law, politics, and the people.

From the screen, Giuseppe Conte presented all Italians with his new ministerial law, declaring the entire peninsula Red Zone, with the subsequently strict prohibition of moving between cities and Italian territories, unless with a documented and valid excuse.

The Premier warned the Italian people that, if the document presented to the police, in case of a control, was declaring a false motivation, the author of this act would be condemned for non-compliance with an authority measure and also for the culpable crime against public health, by putting it at risk.

Therefore, since this morning, at the #Iorestoacasa shared mission, Italy is following the Chinese model, which is already demonstrating to work very well. In fact, after 2 months, the Covid-19 stopped in China and, yesterday, the journalist on the news reported that only 30 people in the Wuhan region resulted positive. Clearly, Italy follows that exemplar measure as the only one possible to adopt, especially after the irresponsible escape of Sunday morning.

Another necessity for declaring all of Italy Red Zone was to make people understand the gravity of this period. The youth and the teenagers are not following the rules established for protection of everybody’s health. Conte gave them a speech explaining that if they would become positive to the Covid-19, this sad event could unfortunately cause their older or weaker family members to become sick and, because of their older age or serious pathologies, even more at risk of pneumonia and dangerous aggravation of their health, until a possible death.

“I understand your desire to meet your friends for a drink or a spritz in the bars; I understand your habits to take an aperitif and going shopping in a mall, however, this is not the right time. You need to understand that the best thing you and I need to do now, is only staying at home!” This was the meaning of his words that he addressed to the young population.

Below is a list of the fundamental and urgent measures against the diffusion of the Covid-19 on the Italian territory taken by the Premier Giuseppe Conte:

- It is forbidden every size of crowd of people in any public place;

- It is suspended any sport competition or event of any discipline and level in any public or private place. An international event will run in an enclosed or open structure with no public. Sport and leisure activities in the open air are possible only if the individuals will keep a meter of distance between each other. For instance, a person can go running or biking as long as this keeps 1 meter away from the others;

- Movement on the territory will be allowed only for work, necessity, or health reasons, proved by a documented self-certification. It is forbidden any movement of people in quarantine and/or resulted positive to the Covid-19;

- Any person with fever (above 37,5°C) or any respiratory infection has to stay at home and limit social interactions. They must contact their physician;

- Ski stations are closed;

- It is suspended every event, organized in public or private place, included cultural, leisure, sportive, religious, such as in cinemas, theaters, churches, stadiums, pubs, discos, bingo rooms, etc.

- It is suspended every educational structure, such as schools, universities, kindergartens, courses, except educational systems organized by remote or video-conferences. Moreover, it is forbidden any other alternative form of aggregation;

- It is forbidden any civilian or religious ceremony, such as weddings, funerals, and mass;

- Museums and other cultural places are closed;

- Bar, pizzerias, and restaurants will only open from 6 am till 6 pm and the responsible manager must have customers sit at 1 meter distance from everybody;

- Malls and large shopping centers will close during weekends and, during week days, they must organize and guarantee the distance of 1 meter between all customers;

- Gyms, swimming-pools, spas, cultural centers, etc must stop every activity;

- Police, Agents, and Carabinieri will control and collect the certifications;

- In relation to railway transports, the Police will control and check every passenger to test their health and temperature and collecting their certifications;

- In the airports, leaving and arriving passengers have to show their ticket along with their certification;

- For Schengen and extra-Schengen arriving passengers have to declare the motivation of their travel; if leaving, passengers will have to show their certification;

- Cruise ships passengers cannot get off the boat for visits, but only to reach their homes.

To all this long list of rules, we always must remember that we have to:

- Wear a sanitary mask if we are sick;

- Keep a meter distance from everybody;

- Wash our wrists and hands for at least 30-40 seconds with soap;

- Wear glasses in case we are approaching sick patients.

Today, all Italy is experimenting a new life on these strict rules. Apparently, the majority of us are following the measures, as around town, streets are empty and the cars are very few.

This silence could recall the August holidays when all our country stop for vacations, but people’s fears and insecurities about our tomorrow generate a worriment lingering in the air like the sword of Damocles hanging on our heads.

Yes, tension is palpable, now, but we must live by the #Iorestoacasa mission.