Italy Field Report 02: Rescuing the "sick man of Europe" - can the Italian government's drastic "soft lockdown" stop the novel coronavirus from running rampant?

(Continued from previous article) March had just arrived, and cherry blossoms and apricot blossoms were already eagerly blooming. But this was a silent spring: schools closed, Mass cancelled, theaters and museums shut, gyms and swimming pools shuttered behind iron gates, and even weddings and funerals were banned. Even the football league that Italians love most could only play behind closed doors, two teams kicking the ball with no cheers or jeers from fans. In the silence, the nonstop wail of ambulances was all the more heart-wrenching.

Since community transmission of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) broke out in Italy in late February, in just over two weeks, confirmed cases shot straight up to 7,000. Although more than 600 people had recovered, it was still the country with the most severe outbreak outside Asia.

Rescuing the "sick man of Europe" - the Italian government prescribes drastic "lockdown"

To shake off the misery of being the "sick man of Europe" as soon as possible, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte signed an emergency decree in the early hours of March 8, prescribing the drastic medicine of "lockdown" until April 3. Without a permit, no one may freely enter or leave the Lombardia region, where Milan is located, or 14 other provinces, and all kinds of gatherings of crowds are banned, with mandatory isolation and quarantine; violators will be fined and face up to three months in prison.

Conte urged young and able-bodied people to bear the hardship together and not to wander around everywhere: "Please stay home more, so you can protect the health of Grandpa and Grandma." As long as you have a fever, whether or not you have caught the novel coronavirus, do not go out.

Even before community transmission cases came to light, the novel coronavirus, commonly known in Taiwan as "Wuhan pneumonia," had already been lurking in Italy for several weeks. But some people