Italy - duration of lockdown & 24 March numbers

[MChild62]

For those interested in developments in Italy, which may inform the direction other countries may take, the latest from the evening Civil Protection Authority press conference:

- Duration of lockdown: there were rumors today that the government would continue the lockdown until the end of July. This was flatly refuted. Instead, the plan is to continue the current lockdown until 3 April. This means the order to remain home and only "essential" industries remain in operation will continue until then. In the days before 3 April, the government will assess whether and how to extend the lockdown.

- Numbers today: for the third consecutive day, new infections have not increased in number over the previous day (slight decrease, in fact). But deaths continue to be very high, with 743 today. Data is here. http://opendatadpc.maps.arcgis.com/a...c82fe38d4138b1

- Medical staff: many have lost their lives in this battle, working in hospitals to save those infected. The deepest gratitude was expressed on behalf of the entire country.

[AX17609]

Very helpful. Keep these coming, if you can.

[Tracerbullet]

Thanks for the information. You and your loved ones stay safe

[Dru Edwards]

Stay safe and diligent. It won't be long until we start seeing numbers like that out of the US (although the US has 300M people).

[Jim Owen]

Really appreciate you sharing, Brother.

Stay safe.

[BrunoBlack]

Thanks for the information, stay safe.

[Mr. Jelly]

I question what the virus will be do when a lock down ends. It doesn't disappear. So you walk right out your door and get it? Best give this a little more thought.

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by Mr. Jelly

I question what the virus will be do when a lock down ends. It doesn't disappear. So you walk right out your door and get it? Best give this a little more thought.

Many medical people are hoping it is like the flu and that there is a season for it and then it 'mostly' disappears. If that's the case, it will in large part go away for the summer; however, there may be another coivid-19 season in the fall/winter (like the flu).

[CoffeeFan]

Had a conversation with a friend last night over cigars and some Maker's.

Everyone seems to want to blame China for this. Well, yeah, I guess I understand that, since that's where it originated. But I don't believe China is responsible for the ridiculously widespread attack of Covid-19.

I give that distinction to Italy.

I visited Italy last April. I based out of Rome and made side trips to Florence, Amalfi, and some other places.

Without hesitation, I can say that Rome is the single most crowded place I have ever been. For people walking through the city (you really don't want to drive in Rome), it easily tops Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and New York City. But the vast majority of these people aren't Italian. They're people like me: tourists.

Now, for fun, take about 45,000 of them and pack them into the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica every day. People get packed into the Sistine Chapel like sardines. It's a breeding ground for anything bad that someone may be carrying.

Upwards of 20,000 people a day visit the Colosseum, and a large percentage of those people ride the metro to get there, as there's a stop on the metro specifically for the Colosseum (Colosseo). So, now, go ahead and add into the mix those people who are on the metro and not visiting the Colosseum. Maybe they're going to work or visiting a friend. There's no shortage of Italians on the metro.

Of course, all of these people don't stay in Rome. They go home, like I did. They go home to the United States or England or Russia or South Africa or Spain or... everywhere.

One person carrying Covid-19 from China, visiting Rome, could pass it to half a dozen people encountered through the course of a normal Italian day, and that could be more than enough to kick start a nightmare like this into high gear in pretty short order.

I love Italy and plan on visiting again, but one thing I was acutely aware of while I was there were the sheer volume of people there, and how it would be quite easy to get sick there.

Hindsight, and all that...

[Neil K Walk]

Originally Posted by CoffeeFan

Had a conversation with a friend last night over cigars and some Maker's.

Everyone seems to want to blame China for this. Well, yeah, I guess I understand that, since that's where it originated. But I don't believe China is responsible for the ridiculously widespread attack of Covid-19.

I give that distinction to Italy.

I visited Italy last April. I based out of Rome and made side trips to Florence, Amalfi, and some other places.

Without hesitation, I can say that Rome is the single most crowded place I have ever been. For people walking through the city (you really don't want to drive in Rome), it easily tops Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and New York City. But the vast majority of these people aren't Italian. They're people like me: tourists.

Now, for fun, take about 45,000 of them and pack them into the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica every day. People get packed into the Sistine Chapel like sardines. It's a breeding ground for anything bad that someone may be carrying.

Upwards of 20,000 people a day visit the Colosseum, and a large percentage of those people ride the metro to get there, as there's a stop on the metro specifically for the Colosseum (Colosseo). So, now, go ahead and add into the mix those people who are on the metro and not visiting the Colosseum. Maybe they're going to work or visiting a friend. There's no shortage of Italians on the metro.

Of course, all of these people don't stay in Rome. They go home, like I did. They go home to the United States or England or Russia or South Africa or Spain or... everywhere.

One person carrying Covid-19 from China, visiting Rome, could pass it to half a dozen people encountered through the course of a normal Italian day, and that could be more than enough to kick start a nightmare like this into high gear in pretty short order.

I love Italy and plan on visiting again, but one thing I was acutely aware of while I was there were the sheer volume of people there, and how it would be quite easy to get sick there.

Hindsight, and all that...

How is it sharing a cigar over Zoom or Facetime?

[_Mike_]

Originally Posted by MChild62

For those interested in developments in Italy .....

Hi Mike

Thanks for the update!

[CoffeeFan]

Originally Posted by Neil K Walk

How is it sharing a cigar over Zoom or Facetime?

We were in his backyard.

We're not on lock down or anything, and a bit of "social distancing" (God, I hate that term) ensured we were fine...

[JC.]

Originally Posted by MChild62

For those interested in developments in Italy, which may inform the direction other countries may take, the latest from the evening Civil Protection Authority press conference:

- Duration of lockdown: there were rumors today that the government would continue the lockdown until the end of July. This was flatly refuted. Instead, the plan is to continue the current lockdown until 3 April. This means the order to remain home and only "essential" industries remain in operation will continue until then. In the days before 3 April, the government will assess whether and how to extend the lockdown.

- Numbers today: for the third consecutive day, new infections have not increased in number over the previous day (slight decrease, in fact). But deaths continue to be very high, with 743 today. Data is here. http://opendatadpc.maps.arcgis.com/a...c82fe38d4138b1

- Medical staff: many have lost their lives in this battle, working in hospitals to save those infected. The deepest gratitude was expressed on behalf of the entire country.

Thanks for the update. In a situation of so many tragedies, hearing of medical staff losing their lives is particularly heartbreaking.

[CoffeeFan]

Speaking of Italy, here are two photos I took of the Pantheon when I was in Rome last year:






As you can see, there's no shortage of people in the square and entering the building. After all, it's a major tourist draw and one of the best preserved ancient buildings in the city.

Now, here's a screen shot from a live cam there. This screenshot was taken at 12:21 (EDT) today:




It's amazing to me to see the stark contrasts between the photos...

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by CoffeeFan

Had a conversation with a friend last night over cigars and some Maker's.

Everyone seems to want to blame China for this. Well, yeah, I guess I understand that, since that's where it originated. But I don't believe China is responsible for the ridiculously widespread attack of Covid-19.

I give that distinction to Italy.

I visited Italy last April. I based out of Rome and made side trips to Florence, Amalfi, and some other places.

Without hesitation, I can say that Rome is the single most crowded place I have ever been. For people walking through the city (you really don't want to drive in Rome), it easily tops Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and New York City. But the vast majority of these people aren't Italian. They're people like me: tourists.

Now, for fun, take about 45,000 of them and pack them into the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica every day. People get packed into the Sistine Chapel like sardines. It's a breeding ground for anything bad that someone may be carrying.

Upwards of 20,000 people a day visit the Colosseum, and a large percentage of those people ride the metro to get there, as there's a stop on the metro specifically for the Colosseum (Colosseo). So, now, go ahead and add into the mix those people who are on the metro and not visiting the Colosseum. Maybe they're going to work or visiting a friend. There's no shortage of Italians on the metro.

Of course, all of these people don't stay in Rome. They go home, like I did. They go home to the United States or England or Russia or South Africa or Spain or... everywhere.

One person carrying Covid-19 from China, visiting Rome, could pass it to half a dozen people encountered through the course of a normal Italian day, and that could be more than enough to kick start a nightmare like this into high gear in pretty short order.

I love Italy and plan on visiting again, but one thing I was acutely aware of while I was there were the sheer volume of people there, and how it would be quite easy to get sick there.

Hindsight, and all that...

Sorry but Taipei, Taiwan is way worse and its 24/7. Those are 99% locals too.