Italians in Semi-freedom from COVID-19: But not for Everyone

Phase 2 of the health management of COVID-19 in Italy was greeted with the enthusiasm of millions who experienced the long lockdown period. In particular, children, students, and young people deprived of daily socialization were joyously relieved.

During the 2 months of segregation, the freedom denied to all was celebrated with songs of self-encouragement in a daily appointment. At the same time in the evening, emulating the famous poetic note “a la cinco de la tarde” (at 5 in the afternoon) leaning out of windows and home balconies sounded a sad chorus of joy.

The pause – or proof of freedom – was granted from May 4 to 18, but not for everyone. And it came with the threat of restoring the lockdown if the regulations were not observed and infections resumed.

“Not for everyone” is the silent advice against those over 60 years old who are for now forbidden to savor freedom. That is a new risk that the government has taken to prevent a second wave of COVID-19 death, humiliation, and despair.

Among the regulations, in addition to the basic ones on hygiene and distances, there is a ban on meetings with friends unless “affective” but the free meeting between boyfriends and girlfriends is allowed even if they don’t live together. The meeting between relatives can happen up to the 6th generation, but it is forbidden to cross regional borders of one’s residence to do so.

This is all somewhat confusing regulations for a population already disoriented by the daily diffusion of always-conflicting news. It just adds to the intolerable confusion, in particular including the dissemination of data regarding deaths originating from nursing homes for the elderly.

The RSA golden limbo

To the 6,715 public and private (official) health care residences (RSAs) scattered throughout Italy, the National AUSER source speculates that at least another 700 must be added to the total number of deaths, but the tally is still inaccurate since there has been no official census.

Many RSAs have come to the fore for anomalous management causes, and a jungle has been defined in which irregularities such as the falsification of authorizations (to keep running the business), inadequate assistance for overcrowding, sanitation deficiencies, and torture to unarmed patients have been defined.

This is a business that is fueled by the partial contribution of the regions, which amounts to many zeros, of which the benefit of illegal organizations are not excluded.

And it is here that they die beyond limits as evidenced by the numbers of total pandemic deaths in Italy – 29,684 as of May 6, 2020, of which at least 60 percent (17,810) originated from the RSAs. Most of these deaths occurred in the Lombardy region and specifically in Milan where one of the main structures is being investigated by the Public Prosecutor’s Office for having concealed 30 bodies in the first phase of the pandemic. This originated a class-action by relatives against the administration toward this immoral recidivist RSA.

The question legitimately arises: How many of the remaining 11,874 died from the virus? From research carried out (by this editor) on official channels, the Italian Cancer Registry Association (AIOM) indicates that in 2019 this disease decimated 371,000 lives (196,000 males and175,000 females).

Research on deaths due to other major diseases conducted by ISTAT.IT (a government office) indicates 240,000 deaths in 2019 due to heart attacks and stroke. Is it, therefore, possible to exclude that among the 11,874 (non-RSAs) a part of those with previous diseases that were registered in the virus category? What is the truth about virus decimation?

Doctors:  heroes on the front lines

The president of the main union family doctors, FIMMG (Italian Federation of General Practitioners), Mr. Scotti, mourns the sacrifice of 154 doctors who have dedicated themselves to saving other human lives. They ran into the virus without having available protective material and adequate information. They were sacrificial victims observing the historic “Hippocratic Oath.” And let us not forget the deaths of nursing staff and RSA operators.

The resumption of work activities

Four million workers resumed activity on Monday, May 4, and are carrying some paradoxes with them. In the days of the imperative to protect the elderly, they have a more advanced average age. They are over 50 and mostly in Northern Italy. There are 2.7 million who will continue to remain at home pending subsequent government measures.

The work recovery is concentrated precisely in the areas most affected by the virus: against 2.8 million workers in Northern Italy who were called back to work. This includes 812,000 in the center of the country and 822,000 in the south.

Facial masks: The golden business of the 21st century

There is profit in misfortune or as Italians say, “mors tua via mea” (your death, my life). The past natural or procured catastrophes in Italy have been an opportunity to enrich the profiteers at the expense of the survivors.

COVID-19 offered another opportunity for unscrupulous people to act almost legally. Among these, some public figures “above all suspicions” have come to the fore including pharmaceutical distributors and their dealers. It is a business whose value will amount to many billions of euros to invest in tax havens.

General criticism on the errors of the Italian government management 

The prolonged closure of industries and minor economic activities has put a strain on the Italian economy which is now collapsing. The promised economic aid for the recovery of SMEs has been denied by the banks, because it is not guaranteed by the government – even though this was promised.

Tourism which represents 13% of the national GDP is seriously compromised in the current year.

The clash between states and regions

The main regions have taken autonomous initiatives transgressing the directives deemed inadequate to save the local economy. Also the Sicilian region entrepreneurs are strongly determined to resume business disobeying to the directives. While the churches claim to resume religious functions will resume as from May 18.

The negative effect on the poor and workers community

The lockdown has led thousands of families into the deepest poverty and to unemployment. These people claimed to have been abandoned by the state, until the prolonged cry of desperation brought out the image of Munk ( the painter of desperation) obtaining a voucher for food and minor subsidies considered inadequate and shameful by some politicians.

The already present poverty has increased. Help comes from pietas of the church and from those who can donate. An army of poor people was forced to deprive themselves of small precious goods and family keepsakes, so they could sell them or take them to the pawn shop. While the other countries of the European community are in better economic condition, they have not hesitated to provide adequate immediate financial aid to their citizens.

The jails open to freedom of top gun Italian Mafia

It is not due to the pardon granted by a new pope or by the President of the Republic, but to a very serious error committed by the Ministry of Grace and Justice – the COVID-19 convict.

There are 349 magnificent inmates that belong to the Camorra, Mafia, and Ndrangheta who were detained under the “41bis” regime (hard prison) that were freed due to the risk of contagion from the coronavirus. How could this have happened?

Too many doubts were reported by the Turin newspaper La Stampa which commented in a summary of a long article dedicated to the case: “The events of justice and politics have never been ‘simple stories’ in our country (Italy). And the appointments, for decades-long traditions, have always been subjected to the scrutiny and judgment of several protagonists: the parties, the friends of the politicians, the currents of the judiciary, the interests of power groups, and the ‘debt of gratitude’ that are intertwined in the time.”

The affair with the tangled evidence sees the Minister of Justice Bonafede protagonist trapped in the spider’s web prostrating himself to a mea culpa and proposing a plan to call back the Mafia members to prison.

Italy dedicates a song to any event, and the appropriate song to this incredible case is: “Folle Idea” (Foolish Idea). Meanwhile, Italy trembles and gratifies Chancellor Merkel’s loud thinking: “the Mafia would benefit in abundance of the economic aid to Italy.”

Stop Press: “In a somber spring economic forecast released today, the European Commission predicted that most of the European continent will fall into the worst economic and financial crisis since the 1930s, following the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Italy, known to be the country  of miracles, will rise from the predicted apocalypse and emerge enriched by a new date to celebrate in history – May 4, 2020 – when the walls began to come down.

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