Coronavirus: What Other Countries Can Learn From Italy Nicoló Follow Mar 12 · 4 min read

On February 21st the small Italian province of Lodi was locked down as around two dozen cases of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) were identified. Currently, less than three weeks later, we’ve reached almost 12,839 cases and 1,016 deaths. Cities and people suffer; in Bergamo alone, morgues lack the space to keep the recently deceased. Why then, do both virologists and the WHO applaud how the Southern-European nation is dealing with the crisis?

Italy has cut spending on healthcare for the past two decades due to the challenges posed by the housing crisis and sovereign debt crisis. In the past ten years alone this has led to an estimated 70,000 fewer hospital beds, and the closure of over 359 medical wards. It therefore stands to reason that when an unexpected pandemic such as COVID-19 erupts, countries in analogous positions are set to suffer. The virus poses two major issues: the first is the rapidity with which it propagates itself, and the second is the effects it has on the uninfected population. Those which are sick need rapid access to treatment, causing those with other, less serious ailments to have to wait. Though not the primary threat of the Coronavirus, individuals now risk developing long term health issues because they no longer have access to medical facilities.

Nevertheless, Italy is ahead of the curve with respect to its European and Transatlantic partners. The once bustling streets of Rome are now eerily quiet, unusual for anyone who knows the capital well. However it is only through this unsettling quiet, through the empty streets, that COVID-19 can be beaten. Silence, not chaos, will end the Coronavirus.

Last night the Italian government decreed that all universities, restaurants and non-essential stores be closed. All individuals must remain home and risk being fined if found outside without a permit. Needless to say that Italy in spring is ideal for walking and eating outside, and closing restaurants in a country famed for its food is a sure sign of the gravity of the situation. Nevertheless, experts state that, since we lack a cure for the virus, this is our best chance at defeating it. Worryingly, they add that the situation in Italy is what the rest of the world will look like in two weeks’ time. Two weeks ago, however, Italy had already placed at-risk zones into quarantine after only 20 infected cases had been identified.

Looking at neighbouring France, it is clear that other countries are not taking the situation as seriously. Last weekend 3,500 people gathered in the small town of Landerneau for the largest Smurf rally in recorded history. France currently claims they have 1,400 infected patients, though recent estimates place the number as high as 140,000. Their infection rate is currently doubling every two days. Though the Smurf stunt does raise a smile in bleak times, it comes at a perilous human cost. So, what should governments and private companies learn from this?

It would be unthinkable for many nations to take the same drastic, though effective, measures as China. After all, safety and individual freedoms must go hand in hand. It would be equally unthinkable however to take a completely laissez-faire approach. Viruses don’t discriminate when infecting people, and pretending nothing is happening is not only irrational, but also rash and dangerous. Mirroring the policies of the Italian government and supporting doctors and emergency services is crucial if we wish to curb the infection. People thus have a responsibility towards each other to act with care. Thankfully technology has advanced not only in the medical, but also in the professional sphere. Companies that can allow for remote work should not only have it available as an option, but also encourage it. Obviously this doesn’t apply to all sectors (it’s likely very difficult to be a remote mechanic) but apps such as Slack, Skype, Outlook and GSuite allow for excellent remote collaboration.

It is redundant to say that COVID-19 will cause families, people, and the economy to suffer. In order to fight this virus, the best course of action is sticking together (which, ironically in these times, means sticking apart). These are battles that are lost or won by working together. We all have a stake in beating the virus so we can return to the comfortable, mundane worries of 2019.

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