Protesters in Italy and pandemic restrictions

Protesters in Italy

Rome [ENA] While protesters turned out in several italian cities to vent their violent anger against government’s latest pandemic restrictions yesterday saw a new record in the daily number of new COVID cases in Italy. 26,831, up from 24,991 Wednesday and there were 217 new deaths, up from 205 Wednesday. There was also a new record number of swabs taken, 201,452, some 2,500 more than Wednesday, according to the official data of

the Italian Ministry of Health. The number of intensive care patients rose by 115 in the last 24 hours, to 1,651. Premier Giuseppe Conte called for national unity on Thursday as he presented the government's latest restrictions intended to combat the spread of COVID-19 after a sharp increase in contagion. The new restrictions, the latest in a series of measures passed by Conte's government, mean Italy's bars and restaurants must stop serving customers at 6pm while cinemas, theatres, swimming pools and gyms must close completely.The government has also approved a package of over five billion euros in aid for the sectors worst hit. On 11 March 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO), due to an exponential increase of cases,

declared COVID-19 (the disease resulting from the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2), and associated respiratory disease outbreak a global pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic and more specifically the moderate to severe cases of the disease that need intermediate and intensive medical care pushed several health systems to breaking point within and outside of the European Union, caused an unparalleled worldwide health crisis with severe socio-economic effects and human suffering, mainly affecting people with chronic conditions, causing both premature death and chronic conditions, and hitting the most vulnerable, patients, women, children, carers and the elderly the hardest.

The severity of the crisis proves also the importance of Union action and of efficiently responding to threats deriving from infectious diseases, and in general of strengthening the Union's actions to complement national policies in the field of public health.To contain the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and protect susceptible populations, most countries imposed severe lockdown measures in the first half of 2020. Meanwhile, economic activity shrunk dramatically on a global scale and amplified the nature of the economic crisis in the first seven months of the pandemic.

The adoption of lockdowns was an important factor in the recession, but voluntary social distancing in response to rising infections also impacted substantially the economic decline. Therefore, although easing lockdowns can lead to a partial recovery, economic activity is likely to remain subdued until health risks abate. Meanwhile, countries should protect the most vulnerable and find ways to support economic activity compatible with social distancing, for example, by reducing contact intensity in the workplace and enhancing work from home where possible. There are new evidence of the unequal effects of lockdowns, which are found to have a larger impact on the mobility of women and younger cohorts.

This calls for targeted policy action to prevent a widening of inequality. Lockdowns can substantially reduce COVID-19 infections, especially if they are introduced early in a country's epidemic and are sufficiently tight. Thus, despite involving short-term economic costs, lockdowns may pave the way to a faster recovery by containing the spread of the virus and reducing the need for voluntary social distancing over time, possibly having positive overall effects on the economy. A holistic approach is needed to improve health outcomes, and EU policy-makers should ensure that the principle of 'health in all policies' is applied in all policy-making.