Italians applaud doctors from balconies amid coronavirus lockdown
Rome, Mar 14 (efe-epa).- Italians took to their balconies on Saturday to praise doctors and healthcare personnel for their efforts fighting the coronavirus and raise spirits amid a national lockdown in its sixth day.
Fatalities blamed on Covid-19 climbed by 175 in the last 24 hours to 1,441, civil protection chief Angelo Borrelli said Saturday, while the number of cases increased to 17,500.
On a brighter note, Borrelli told a press conference that the ranks of coronavirus patients who have recovered grew by 527 to 1,966.
The country has had the second-highest infection numbers in the world, after China where the pandemic originated in the Hubei province in December.
However, several morale-boosting initiatives have been launched on social media during the long hours people have had to spend at home.
The most recent of these initiatives came Saturday as Italians took to their balconies and windows at midday to applaud the efforts of medics against the virus.
In Rome’s San Giovanni neighbourhood, banners were hung from some buildings bearing slogans such as “Everything is going to be fine”.
The same motto has been displayed from the balcony of the office of Rome’s mayor Virginia Raggi at the Campidoglio palace.
Similar initiatives were carried out across other cities such as Milan, the capital of Lombardy, one of the worst-hit Italian areas in the pandemic, as well as Napoli in the south of the European country.
The President of Lazio Nicola Zingaretti, who has tested positive for Covid-19, also celebrated the people who had lined up to donate blood.
“A heartfelt thanks to the Italians, we are proving once again that we are a great people,” he posted to his Facebook account from his quarantine.
“Let’s continue like this because we need it.
“Applause and a huge thanks to you, Italian Health workers.”
Over the past few days there have been a number of morale-boosting initiatives across Italy, with people singing the national anthem and traditional songs from their windows.
On 9 March, Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced restrictions on movement in a bid to contain the outbreak.
He called on Italians to stay at home and only leave in the case of extreme need, such as going to work or for shopping.
Only small groups were allowed to enter shops, with queues stretching into the street as people lined up with one-metre spaces between each other, and most of them wearing masks and gloves.
In Rome, the streets, care homes, nurseries and public transport have been disinfected, while parks and other spaces have also been closed. EFE
gsm/ta/rb/drRome, Mar 14 (EFE).- Italians took to their balconies on Saturday to praise doctors and healthcare personnel for their efforts fighting the coronavirus and raise spirits amid a national lockdown in its sixth day.
Fatalities blamed on Covid-19 climbed by 175 in the last 24 hours to 1,441, civil protection chief Angelo Borrelli said Saturday, while the number of cases increased to 17,500.
