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The Infodemic of Fake News in the Era of CoV-19
The Infodemic of Fake News in the Era of CoV-19
In Italy Facebook and Twitter are not the primary social media apps of Italians generally speaking. More than ever WhatsApp and Instagram are the mobile apps of choice for social media messaging and these apps have been the cause of many fake news stories where local gossip is translated into a media story only later to be discovered as fake. There are even fake animal stories in abundance on social media on Instagram and Twitter and filters on Instagram that made claims to diagnose—and even cure—COVID-19.
Remember the ibuprofen scare that was said to originate from a friend of a doctor at the Medical University of Vienna in March? The claim, originally made as a voice recording in German and quickly translated to many other languages in message form, was that COVID-19 was either caused by or aggravated by patients taking ibuprofen. I saw about thirty tweets to this effect in March that many people aimlessly executed without reading any verifiable studies on this claim. Well, it turns out this was a hoax and wildly successful since even today people are still retweeting the fake news for which there is zero scientific basis.
While fake news is not endemic to Italy, it is having an increasing impact in other European nations as WhatsApp has become the primary vehicle for transmitting fraudulent news stories. Now for every rumour on social media, major and independent news is tasked with correcting the fake news reports to include telling readers how to deal with what is now called an “infodemic.”
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Why Italians are not singing anymore: the problem of a weak state
Why Italians are not singing anymore: the problem of a weak state
Shows of brutality are used by politicians to look “tough on crime,” but they are a mark of weakness, not of strength. Something similar has happened in Italy where a weak government imposed harsh confinement measures on citizens. They didn’t arrive to force everyone to wear iron chains, but the idea was similar: politicians trying to look “tough on the virus. Image: convicted inmates from Brevard County Jail.
In some places in the US, jail inmates are forced to wear black-and-white striped costumes and chains around the ankles. In some cases, even iron balls are attached to the chains. Without denying that there exists a crime problem, you may reasonably argue that this is not the best way to reduce it. But these spectacular measures are chosen by politicians competing against each other by showing that they are “tough on crime.”
Something similar seems to have happened in Italy, with local politicians competing against each other to impose on citizens harsher and harsher measures against the coronavirus epidemic. Also in this case, without denying the gravity of the epidemic, you may reasonably argue that most of these measures were not the best way to fight it.
The Italian lockdown was probably the harshest seen anywhere in Europe. It involved a series of unclear and often contradictory orders from the government, sometimes looking like they were meant to harass citizens rather than stopping the epidemics. Just as a few examples, you could be fined if your spouse rode in the family car in the front seat rather than in the back seat.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
“This Could Turn Violent” – Italian Officials Fear South Turning Into A Powder Keg
“This Could Turn Violent” – Italian Officials Fear South Turning Into A Powder Keg
Signs of social unrest in major Western cities could be developing over the next few weeks, and as we previously warned last Friday, a global depression with high unemployment could unleash a “social bomb” in European countries and or North America.
At the moment, Italy is the most high-risk country in the West to experience a potential breakdown in society. The country is suffering from an explosion in COVID-19 cases and deaths, a collapsed hospital system, an economic depression, and high unemployment. Sounds a lot like Venezuela…
Italy has called up the military in recent weeks to enforce lockdowns across the country. There have also been reports of organized gangs operating in the Southern part of the country that are using social media to plot raids on businesses, reported Bloomberg.
It’s a race against time for Italian officials to prevent social unrest:
“We need to act fast, more than fast,” Mayor Leoluca Orlando of Palermo, a city of Southern Italy, told daily La Stampa. “Distress could turn into violence.”
Lockdowns in the country have entered the fourth week, Health Minister Roberto Speranza said in a statement on Monday recommending that the government must extend the countrywide lockdown through Easter. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has been injecting stimulus into the economy to prevent a complete economic crash, and the next round could hit as early as mid-April, worth $33 billion.
Italy is the epicenter of COVID-19 in Europe. As of Monday afternoon, 101,739 confirmed cases had been reported, with 11,591 deaths. The growth rates in deaths in Northern Italy is still on an exponential curve.
“Discomfort and malaise are growing, and we are recording worrying reports of protest and anger that is being exploited by criminals who want to destabilize the system,” said Orlando.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Cuomo Orders “100%” Of New Yorkers To Stay Home, Italy Confirms Another 600 Deaths As ‘Martial Law’ Declared: Live Updates
Cuomo Orders “100%” Of New Yorkers To Stay Home, Italy Confirms Another 600 Deaths As ‘Martial Law’ Declared: Live Updates
Summary:
- Hong Kong reports largest daily jump in cases on record as travelers revive outbreak
- NY rolls out restrictive new measures
- NY case total tops 7k
- Italy says Army will help enforce lockdown, effectively declaring martial law; might extend lockdown through early May
- Spain death toll cracks 1,000
- Italy reports another 627 deaths
- Confirmed cases in US pass 14k
- Drive thru testing site in NJ’s Bergen County has a line that’s over 1,000+ cars long
- Switzerland bars all gatherings of more than 5 people
- Trump says no plans for national lockdown
- Germany to pass ‘shadow’ budget on Monday
- EU suspends budget rules
- Bavaria becomes first German state to impose ‘lockdown’
- Johnson says UK can defeat virus in 12 weeks if ‘we work together’
- Treasury now moving back both filing & payment deadlines for 2019
- Novartis will donate up to 130 million doses of hydroxychloroquine to support global response
- NBC News employee succumbs to virus
- Dr. Fauci says social distancing should continue for several weeks
- MTA confirms it has 23 sick workers
- US, Mexico agree to shut southern border
- China makes first purchase under ‘Phase 1’ trade deal
- Altria chairman & CEO tests positive
- Military confirms 35 American troops infected in Europe
* * *
Update (1320ET): As Italy’s worst outbreak spirals further and further out of control, Italy is reporting 5,986 new cases of coronavirus and 627 new deaths on Friday, raising the countrywide total to 47,021 cases and 4,032 dead, as the total number of cases in Europe surpasses the total ‘officially’ confirmed in China.
If you’re curious about how things are looking on the ground in Italy, this Channel 4 report is chilling.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
The Virus is a Time Machine
The Virus is a Time Machine
Around mid-January I started including coronavirus news in the daily Automatic Earth “Debt Rattle” news aggregators, and wrote the first essay on the topic on January 29. Tons of people since have asked why, but I thought the virus had “potential”. Though not everybody would agree, I still think that. So the Debt Rattles are full of coronavirus these days.
For a proper understanding, we must remember that China was 4-5 weeks too late in reporting the disease, and after that the west was 4-5 weeks late in acting on the news. This happens simply because a politician who cries wolf will have a short career, and reporters, certainly today, follow that same model.
I explained 5 weeks ago why this happens the way it does in China in The Party and the Virus, but western countries’ political and media systems are structured very much the same way. Being early to warn does not help your job prospects. Unless you’re 100% sure, but then you won’t be alone and there’s nothing left to warn about. So might as well stay mum.
Until you must speak, and then you’re way behind, and you’ll be as wrong as you are late. Cast in stone. Bias “R” Us. But then, that’s why there’s the Automatic Earth. The Matrix is never perfectly sealed.
In the case of COVID19, the story is not about the numbers of cases or fatalities at any given point after two months and change, it’s about the disruption it will cause. We have a highly contagious virus that can cause death. That is all you need to know really. Feel free to claim that reactions and measures are over the hill, but no government has the option to say things are not all that bad and it’s business as usual.
New Jersey Declares State Of Emergency As Coronavirus Cases Triple In Greater New York: Live Updates
New Jersey Declares State Of Emergency As Coronavirus Cases Triple In Greater New York: Live Updates
Update (0850ET): As the US market open draws near, investors are parsing a flood of coronavirus related news overnight, including the good (President Xi’s to Wuhan and a sharp drop in new cases in South Korea), the bad (US confirmed cases nearing 1,000), and the ugly (Italy’s crackdown is starting to resemble China’s, as the video below would suggest).
“Please stay at home & go outside only when you need to buy medicines or see doctors. Please follow our rules & wear face masks,” Italian authorities use loudspeakers to promote awareness among local residents about #COVID19 prevention and control.
While we’ve focused on some of the new developments in the US earlier, there’s plenty going on in Europe to rattle investor confidence. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Spain has doubled in the past few days, prompting the government to shut all schools in Madrid and the surrounding area for 2 weeks.
The Spanish parliament’s lower house suspended all activities on Tuesday for at least a week after a lawmaker with the country’s right-wing Vox Party was confirmed to have the virus.
MP Javier Ortega Smith was diagnosed with the virus, El Pais newspaper reported, citing sources from with Vox.
Ortega Smith is Vox’s No. 2 leader, and in this capacity participated in a large scale political rally last weekend, where we interacted with constituents and other lawmakers, Reuters said.
* * *
NYC-based bankers better have a bugout base in Antarctica, because all the suburban bedroom communities preferred by wealthy financiers have already been infected with the coronavirus: Westchester, New Jersey, Fairfield County and Long Island (though thankfully not the Hamptons) have all reported cases of the virus (even scarier: a handful of infections have no clear connection to another case, potentially offering a glimpse into what might be a much wider ‘community outbreak’).
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Italy Expands Quarantine Throughout Country As Coronavirus Cases, Deaths Surge: Live Updates
Italy Expands Quarantine Throughout Country As Coronavirus Cases, Deaths Surge: Live Updates
Summary:
- First 2 Coronavirus deaths recorded in Germany
- Santa Clara reports second coronavirus death
- 3 more deaths confirmed in Washington State
- LA reports first case of community spread
- De Blasio says NYC quarantine “a possibility”
- WHO’s Dr. Tedros says threat of pandemic has become “very real”
- Confirmed cases near or pass 1,000 in France, Germany and Spain
- US deaths hit 22
- Canada reports first death in British Columbia
- Germany state of Brandenburg has between 4k and 5k in home quarantine
- Trump to meet with Wall Street CEOs Wednesday
- South Korea imposes travel advisory, confirms another 96 cases; 3 new deaths (total: 54)
- Hungary stops flights to and from Northern Italy
- PM Johnsons says UK won’t close parliament
- Trump to hold WH meeting on fiscal stimulus
- Italian PM promises “massive shock therapy” to save economy from coronavirus
- Amazon asks employees in NY, NJ to work from home
- Deutsche Bank cancels 150-year-anniversary celebrations
- Dozens of flights leave northern Italy despite quarantine, even as airlines cancel routes
- Moody’s says US economy headed for recession
- Cuomo confirms 142 new cases in New York State, bringing total confirmed in NYC to 19
- NY has started making its own sanitizer
- Columbia University cancels classes, Princeton moves lectures online
- 78 new public health labs open across US Monday
- Spain PM says he will have ’emergency plan’ to tackle outbreak
- UK confirms another 45 cases
- VP Pence will hold press conference at 5:30ET Monday
- Amtrak shutters ‘Acela Corridor’
- Korean construction worker contracted by US military tests positive
- Total number of cases jumps above 9,000 while deaths hit 463
- ‘Grand Princess’ docks in Oakland
- Another cruise ship disaster might be shaping up in Fla.
- Trump congratulates VP Pence via tweet
- New cases in South Korea drop as Philippines case total doubles
- EUCO President says conference call will be held to coordinate EU response
- Germany and France finmins hold talks to discuss crisis
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Italy Reports Surge In News Cases, Deaths; Israel Weighs Ban On Foreigners: Live Updates
Italy Reports Surge In News Cases, Deaths; Israel Weighs Ban On Foreigners: Live Updates
Summary:
- Italy reports 2nd straight 1,000+ jump in cases, deaths jump 60%; mortality rate in Italy hits 5%
- New York State confirms 16 new cases bringing total north of 100
- Oregon declares state of emergency
- 16 million Italians wake up under quarantine
- Egypt reports Africa’s first coronavirus death, a German citizen
- Pope Francis cancels Sunday address
- Dr. Fauci warns community spread is getting out of control.
- ‘Grand Princess’ to dock in Oakland on Monday
- Saudi Arabia quarantines province
- France, Germany call for bans on events with over 1,000
- Still no word on timing of when ‘Grand Princess’ will land
- Patient in Japan develops meningitis
- Spain death toll hits 17, 600+ cases
- Cuomo says he wants to avoid closing NYC schools, transit if possible
- Iran official death toll hits 194
- Daegu Mayor says outbreak may be slowing as number of new cases falls
* * *
Update (1530ET): Yesterday, we reported the six new cases of Covid-19 in British Columbia.
Now, officials in the province have identified another outbreak at a nursing home in the province, the second such outbreak in the Pacific Northwest, in addition to the nursing home in Kirkland, Washington. The pair was infected by a staff member at the Lynn Valley Care Center in North Vancouver. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said the facility is basically on lockdown as the provincial authorities try to keep the virus from spreading.
As we head into the middle of the day in California, let’s circle back to the ‘Grand Princess’, the virus-plagued cruise ship drifting 20 nautical miles off the coast as it awaits plans to dock at the Port of Oakland on Monday. The ship’s captain, John Smith, said Sunday that the crew still doesn’t know at approximately what time they would be docking.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Italy Places Milan Region Under Quarantine As First Covid-19-Linked Death Reported In Latin America: Live Updates
Italy Places Milan Region Under Quarantine As First Covid-19-Linked Death Reported In Latin America: Live Updates
Summary:
- 21 cases confirmed aboard ‘Grand Princess’
- First death reported in Latin America
- 2 dozen American tourists quarantined on cruise ship
- Illinois confirms sixth case, shuts Chicago school
- South Korea reports 367 new cases raising total to 7,134
- US Marine in Virginia catches coronavirus
- San Francisco confirms six new cases
- Italy quarantines half the country
- British Columbia confirms six cases
- Spain quarantines town
- First case in Washington DC
- US death toll hits 19 as two more cases in WA.
- New York cases hit 76
- Australia reports third death
* * *
Update (2000ET): Though the coronavirus has spread more slowly across the warmer climate of Latin America, the first fatality linked to Covid-19 on the continent has just been reported by the Argentinian health ministry.
- ARGENTINA CONFIRMS FIRST DEATH IN LATIN AMERICA OF PATIENT DIAGNOSED WITH CORONAVIRUS – HEALTH MINISTRY STATEMENT
In other news, the Washington Post reports that two dozen American tourists are being quarantined on a cruise ship in the Egyptian city of Luxor, according to two passengers, as Egyptina health officials confirmed 33 new cases of the virus on Saturday.
South Korea, meanwhile, just reported another 367 Covid-19 cases, bringing the total to 7,134.
According to the Chicago Tribune, students and staff at a Chicago public school have been asked to stay home next week while the school undergoes a “deep clean”. They’ve also been advised to stay at home and not leave until mid-March, after a classroom assistant – a previous passenger on the Grand Princess before disembarking on Feb. 21.
The special education teacher at Vaughn Occupational High School in Portage Park has been hospitalized since becoming the sixth positive case in the state of Illinois – with all the cases having been identified in Cook County.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Japan, China Close Schools Nationwide As CDC Warns Of Possible “Community Outbreak” In Sonoma County: Live Virus Updates
Japan, China Close Schools Nationwide As CDC Warns Of Possible “Community Outbreak” In Sonoma County: Live Virus Updates
Update (0735ET): After yesterday’s rally fizzled, Germany is giving the ‘fiscal stimulus’ tape bomb one more go.
- GERMAN GOVERNMENT CONSIDERING POSSIBLE STIMULUS PROGRAMME IN CASE CORONAVIRUS EPIDEMIC HITS GERMAN ECONOMY HARD – HANDELSBLATT
Yesterday, a German lawmaker poured cold water on reports that Germany might ditch its constitutional ‘debt break’ to boost spending in response to the economy-killing outbreak.
* * *
Update (0715ET): with the country’s third election in a year just days away, Israel is taking serious pains to avoid acknowledging the coronavirus cases that have been confirmed in the country by blaming them on Italy and South Korea (each case involved a traveler who had recently returned from one of those two countries).
The country said Thursday it would bar non-Israelis who had recently visited Italy after confirming that a man who had recently visited the country had tested positive for the virus, according to Reuters.
* * *
US equity futures are pointing to yet another lower open on Thursday morning after WaPo interrupted President Trump’s press conference last night to reports the first COVID-19 case “of unknown origin,” which the CDC later confirmed was in Sonoma County, and could be the epicenter of America’s first “community outbreak.” Shortly after, South Korea reported its largest number of new coronavirus cases in a single day, as the number of new cases reported outside China once again surpassed the number inside China. Brazil confirmed the first case in South America yesterday, bringing the virus to every continent except Antarctica.
Europe Questions Italy’s Ability To Contain Outbreak After Hospital Helped Spread Virus: Live Updates
Europe Questions Italy’s Ability To Contain Outbreak After Hospital Helped Spread Virus: Live Updates
Update (0825ET): Bahrain has banned its citizens from traveling to Iran as it reports 9 new cases of coronavirus, raising the total cases in the tiny island kingdom to 17 in the span of 24 hours.
* * *
Update (0800ET): With his reputation under fire and his popularity slipping, PM Giuseppe Conte said Tuesday that he’s confident that the measures his government has put in place will contain the contagion in the coming days.
This comes after the PM admitted that a hospital in Lombardy inadvertently helped spread the virus by not adhering to certain health-care protocols. The PM has blamed the hospital for the outbreak in the north, raising questions about whether “the European nation is capable of containing the outbreak,” according to CNN. To put things in perspective, Italy now has 3x the number of cases in Hong Kong.
“That certainly contributed to the spread,” Conte said, without naming the institution concerned. The infection has been centered around the town of Codogno, around 35 miles south of Milan.
“Obviously we cannot predict the progress of the virus. It is clear that there has been an outbreak and it has spread from there,” Conte told reporters, referring to the hospital.
A team of health experts from the World Health Organization and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control arrived in Italy on Monday to assist local authorities while some 100,000 remain under an effective quarantine.
Over in India, Trump added to his earlier comments by saying a vaccine is “very close”, even though the most generous estimates claim we need another year.
Market experts cited a WSJ report on a possible vaccine as helping market sentiment, though even that report made clear that human tests of the drug are not due until the end of April and results not until July or August.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Stocks Slide As CDC Confirms 53 Cases In The US
Stocks Slide As CDC Confirms 53 Cases In The US
Summary:
- Stocks slide as CDC releases new US case numbers
- Italy reports 7th death, 200+ confirmed cases
- WHO says outbreak not yet a ‘pandemic’
- First cases reported in Oman, Bahrain
- WHO kowtows to China in statement
- Wuhan issues order to loosen lockdown, then U-turns
- NHC says outbreak is fading, though situation remains “grim”
- China approves crackdown on wildlife trade after WHO says virus likely came from bats
- Iranian lawmaker says more than 50 deaths in Qom; officials say 12
- Hong Kong bars South Koreans
- more cases reported in SK
* * *
Update (1220ET): US stocks took another leg lower, falling to their lowest levels of the session with the Dow down 1,000 points, following the latest headlines out of the CDC confirming 39 cases of the virus have been detected among the rest of the ~300 individuals from the ‘Diamond Princess’.
The CDC reportedly opposed the State Department’s decision to allow 14 individuals who were confirmed to be infected to travel on the evac flight after their cases were confirmed just before takeoff, thanks to one of the many botched, drop-the-ball moments attributed to Japanese health officials.
This is exactly what they warned about: In addition to the 14 people who were already infected, it appears another 25 were infected on the flight back – where the sick individuals were separated by the rest using duct tape and a thin tarp-like sheet.
That brings total US cases to 53.
Meanwhile, the CD isolated 14 cases outside those who caught the virus aboard the DP.
- U.S. CDC SAYS 14 CONFIRMED CASES OF COVID-19 AS OF FEB. 24, 39 CASES AMONG THOSE REPATRIATED TO U.S.
Six of these cases are believed to be in San Antonio, according to local press reports.
* * *
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
“It’s Total Panic” – Store-Shelves Empty As Virus-Spread Sparks Panic-Buying Food & Masks Across Italy
“It’s Total Panic” – Store-Shelves Empty As Virus-Spread Sparks Panic-Buying Food & Masks Across Italy
Update (1050ET): It’s not just food. As Bloomberg reports, in the tiny hamlet of Cassago Brianza, half way between Milan and Lake Como, Giovanni Casiraghi was taken aback to find a long line of customers waiting when he opened his industrial equipment store on Monday morning.
They all asked for the same thing: a mask typically used in building sites or factories.
In less than 30 minutes, he had sold more than 500 of them.
“We sell industrial equipment and I know most of our clients, so I was astonished when people I’ve never seen before asked for these professional masks,” the 71-year-old said.
“Someone told me that I was one of the few shops to still have protective masks. Panic is spreading even here, far from the epicenter of the outbreak.”
“It’s total panic,” said Michela, whose family owns the L’Arte del Panino bar in west Milan.
“There have been very few clients today. And we have to shut down the bar at 6 p.m.” She declined to give her last name.
* * *
As Summit news’ Paul Joseph Watson detailed earlier, people in several regions of Italy have reacted to coronavirus spreading throughout the country by panic buying, leaving some store shelves empty.
With more than 220 people infected, Italy has the most coronavirus victims out of any country in Europe. Seven people have died.
Footage out of Milan shot yesterday shows some products almost or entirely out of stock.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Italy Declares “National Emergency” As Coronavirus Cases Surge, Northern Italy On Lockdown: Virus Updates
Italy Declares “National Emergency” As Coronavirus Cases Surge, Northern Italy On Lockdown: Virus Updates
Summary:
- Italy announces 79 cases, declares “national emergency”; Nothern Italy put on lockdown.
- Japan cases triple in a week to 121
- Japan confirms “seriously ill” patient in Tokyo
- Hubei reports daily numbers
- Chinese scientists find virus in urine
- Experts propose 27 day quarantine, say 14 days likely not long enough
- Cases outside China go exponential
- 32 UK and European citizens arrive back in UK on evac flight
- Outbreak reported in South Korean psychiatric ward
- WHO team visits Wuhan; will give Monday press conference
- Iran reports 10 new cases, deaths climb to 6
- San Diego says 200 under ‘medical observation’
- Young woman infected five relatives without ever showing symptoms
- South Korea cases surge 8-fold in 4 days to 433; country reports third death
* * *
Update (1940ET): Health officials from two South Korean provinces have reported a total of 28 new cases ahead of a national update, according to BNO.
South Korean officials in 2 regions report at least 28 new cases of coronavirus ahead of national update
https://bnonews.com/index.php/2020/02/the-latest-coronavirus-cases/ …Tracking coronavirus: Map, data and timeline – BNO NewsThe tables below show confirmed cases of coronavirus (2019-nCoV, officially known as SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19) in China and other countries. To see a distribution map and a timeline, scroll down. There…bnonews.com
* * *
Update (1920ET): NHK reports another case of a “seriously ill” patient in Tokyo. The man allegedly traveled to Indonesia – one of the few countries in the region that hasn’t confirmed a single case – while he was sick.
* * *
Update (1820ET): Officials in Hubei have reported their latest figures on the outbreak, with the number of new cases doubling compared to yesterday (630 on Saturday new cases vs. 366 on Friday), while the number of confirmed deaths dipped (96 vs 106).
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Italy Reports 1st Covid-19 Death, Locks-Down 10 Towns Amid Contagion Fears: Virus Updates
Italy Reports 1st Covid-19 Death, Locks-Down 10 Towns Amid Contagion Fears: Virus Updates
Summary:
- Italy reports 1st virus death, 15 additional cases, 10 cities on lockdown
- 34 cases in USA.
- China pledges to build 19 new hospitals in Wuhan
- Hawaii hasn’t tested any suspected cases in the state
- 253 more passengers depart the diamond princess as 11 of 13 American evacuees in Nebraska test positive
- Local authorities in China warn people will be punished for not returning to work if ordered
- WHO’s Tedros: Window for confronting virus rapidly closing
- CDC says virus tremendous health threat, warns more human to human transmission of the virus in the US likely
- First case declared in Lebanon
- Iran confirms 9 more cases as virus reaches Tehran
- South Korea reported massive jump in cases on Friday as total climbed to 204
- Global Times insinuates that US might be covering up coronavirus cases
- Health officials in Hubei ‘apologize’ for changing case confirmation ‘criteria’
* * *
Update (1735ET): Italy’s Corriere has just reported the first death from Covid-19 – a 77 year old man in Padua, Veneto region.
Authorities in northern Italy on Friday ordered the closure of schools, bars and other public spaces in 10 towns following a flurry of new coronavirus cases.
After 5 doctors and 10 other people tested positive for the virus in Lombardy, IBTimes reports that over 50,000 people have been asked to stay at home while all public activities such as carnival celebrations, church masses and sporting events have been banned for up to a week.
In a desperate attempt to reassure a public beginning to panic, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said “everything is under control”, and stressed the government was maintaining “an extremely high level of precaution”.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
