Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Italy Closes Most Restaurants, Shops Except For Groceries In An Effort To Halt Devastating Toll Of Coronavirus
The Wall Street Journal: Italy Hardens Nationwide Quarantine
Italy ordered the nationwide closure of all restaurants and bars along with most stores, as it raced to contain the worst novel coronavirus outbreak outside China. From Thursday, all retail outlets except for food stores and pharmacies must stay shut, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said. The announcement tightens a nationwide quarantine in place since Tuesday morning, aimed at cutting social interactions to a minimum. (Sylvers and Legorano, 3/11)
Politico: Italy Brings In Stricter Lockdown Measures
In a televised announcement to the nation Wednesday night, Conte said the government decided to bring in the measures gradually and the whole country would now turn into a “protected zone rather than a red one.” Italy went into lockdown on Tuesday, after Conte announced that schools and universities as well as public venues, including cinemas, theaters and gyms, would remain shut until April 3. Coronavirus infections climbed by more than 2,000 on Wednesday to surpass the 10,000 mark, with an additional 170 deaths in one day. (Borrelli, 3/11)
The Wall Street Journal: Virus Outbreak Pushes Italy’s Health-Care System To The Brink
When her hospital in the northern Italian city of Cremona had its first case of coronavirus three weeks ago, Francesca Mangiatordi was on a night shift. Since then, as dozens of new cases poured in, the emergency-room doctor has been faced with heart-rending choices, such as how to allocate scarce oxygen supplies among critically ill patients. “These are the choices I would have never wanted to make,” she said. “It’s somewhat like being in war.” (Lombardi and Petroni, 3/12)
The New York Times: For Italians, Dodging Coronavirus Has Become A Game Of Chance
As his glasses fogged up from the mask he wore over his mouth and nose, Riccardo Rosso, a historian of mathematics, scribbled on a blackboard the possible outcomes of a dice game, substituting the chances of getting the coronavirus. “The concept is the same,” he said. “It is still probability.” But he noted that many variables in the current health emergency were still unknown. So personal interactions — increasing the potential to come in contact with the virus — were probably a bad bet. (Horowitz, 3/11)
The Hill: Italy Confirms Nearly 200 People Died From Coronavirus In 24 Hours: Report
Nearly 200 people have died in Italy from the novel coronavirus in one day, NBC News reports. The Italian Civil Protection Agency confirmed to the news agency that the country, which has the worst outbreak of COVID-19 outside of China, recorded 196 deaths between Tuesday to Wednesday. NBC News reports a total of 897 deaths from the virus have been recorded in the country thus far. The confirmation comes after earlier reports placed the total number of COVID-19 cases in Italy at 10,000 on Wednesday. (Folley, 3/11)
The Washington Post: Luca Franzese Quarantined With Sister’s Corpse After Italy Coronavirus Death
In Italy, which has the second-highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the world, 827 deaths have been attributed to covid-19. The government has taken extraordinary measures to contain the pandemic, restricting the movements of nearly 16 million people as the entire country has gone on lockdown. But attempts to slow the spread of the disease have led to unintended consequences, including several instances where funeral homes reportedly refused to collect the bodies of those infected with the virus. (Farzan, 3/12)
NBC News: American On Coronavirus Lockdown In Italy: 'It's Surreal. It's Dystopian.'
For nearly two weeks, Cristina Higgins, an American who lives in Italy, has traveled no farther from her apartment building than the driveway. Her days begin at the breakfast table with her husband and three children before the kids log online to do their schoolwork from home. The family spends their evenings playing Monopoly in their apartment. Throughout the day, Higgins looks at the news for updates on the growing number of coronavirus cases in the country and checks in on friends. Each night, overwhelmed with anxiety over the spread of the virus, she finds it hard to sleep. (Chuck, 3/11)
