New Delhi: Even as the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus continue to rise in Italy, with an estimated 10,000 cases and more than 600 reported deaths, there is a decline in such cases in regions where restrictive measures were first adopted claims the country’s envoy to India.
Italy has the highest number of confirmed cases and deaths caused by COVID-19 outside of China where the outbreak originated from.
In an email interview with senior journalist Smita Sharma, Ambassador Vincenzo De Luca underlined the pandemic as a global challenge where Italy is doing its part to deal with the outbreak.
The envoy did not comment to a question on whether India shutting itself down will be effective or lead to panic. However, he assured that Italy, a country of 62 million people, has one of the most advanced healthcare systems in the world and its laboratories and treatment facilities are working day and night to deal with the pandemic affected.
Italy, China, Korea, France, Iran, Spain are among the 15 countries for which India has suspended all visas till April 15 barring official, diplomatic, UN/ international Organisations, projects and employment-related ‘essential travel’.
Air India on Wednesday announced the suspension of all its flight services to Rome and Milan from March 15 to March 23 in wake of the pandemic.
The national carrier’s flight that landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Wednesday was taken into an isolation bay and all passengers screened as part of the virus prevention process.
Ambassador Luca stressed that COVID-19 has brought home the need for international solidarity to deal with this public health crisis.
Here are excerpts from the interview.
Q: What is the ground situation in Italy now? Reports seem to suggest the virus has brought it down to its knees and it is worsening in Italy and Japan.
Ans: In the spirit of transparency, the Italian Government has been sharing with the international community constant updates on the number of infections. The Italian Civil Protection Department provides updates of the situation on a daily basis. To date, numbers are still growing, yet there is also a figure that must not be underestimated. We are looking at a sensible decrease in the number of cases in those areas that first adopted the restrictive measures (the city of Codogno), which were later extended to the whole national territory. The Italian Government has been responding energetically, as also acknowledged by the WHO and the EU. We are confident that the measures put in place will soon show their effectiveness. Italy is not the only affected country. It is a global issue and Italy is doing its part to tackle it.
Q: Do you have enough testing centres and treatment facilities at the moment?
Ans: In tackling this challenge, Italy can count on one of the most advanced healthcare systems in the world. Our laboratories and treatment facilities are working day and night to address the challenge. Let me highlight that last year, the Bloomberg Global Health Index ranked Italy at the second place. In fact, Italy is the second country with the highest life expectancy (83.4 years) and it is proud to provide free healthcare to its population. In the European Union, life expectancy in good health is on average 64.2 years for women and 63.5 years for men. In Italy, it is 67.2 years for women and 67.6 for men, thanks to our healthy diet and high quality and safety food standards.
Q: You have had recent meetings with senior officials at the Ministry of External Affairs here. What did the discussions focus on?
Ans: The Embassy of Italy that has been working restlessly with the Indian authorities, in particular the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Tourism. Thanks to their efficient and prompt cooperation, which Italy is extremely grateful of. We were able to address the issues at stake in a timely fashion.
Q: Italian PM Giuseppe Conte has said that bars, salons, non-essential company departments would also close in the country. Are you in a position to assess the impact of coronavirus on Italian economy yet?
Ans: It is early to assess the impact of the coronavirus on the Italian economy. The Government is aware of the economic constraint that the emergency poses and already allocated 25 billion euros as a relief measure to help families and enterprises during this unprecedented crisis.
Q- Do you see the world united and determined in its resolve to fight the virus? What are the challenges that the global economy needs to brace for?
Ans: The COVID-19 experience is teaching us that health is the most important global public good, universal health is becoming a widespread challenge and that there is no alternative to international solidarity and collaboration to tackle global issues. Italy is doing its part.
Q: How has your day to day life and functioning of the Italian embassy in Delhi affected because of the pandemic?
Ans: The Embassy also adopted restrictive measures, such as the suspension of all public events, starting from the Italian National Day that was due to take place on March 17th, and many other activities. All visa interviews are suspended. We have adopted specific measures to make the environment as safe as possible.
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