America needs to learn several lessons from Italy, and its handling of the Covid crisis.

That according to Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. “At first I didn’t expect it, but I am very impressed with what is happening in Italy at the moment,” he said. BBC America.

The success of Italy’s Covid recovery, he said, depended on testing, quarantine and respect for the rules. Efficient testing and tracing following longer locks and careful reopening. “The lockdown was very acute and prolonged – which knocked out the transmission of the virus. But that’s only phase 1. It has to be maintained.

“All the adherence to wearing masks, and all the widespread testing, case finding, quarantine … Those are good things that maintain that advantage. We don’t do that here. We have a sloppy population. We are hardly on the same page … We need national leadership. “

The kind that can be observed strongly in Italy during the crisis months.

New Rules On The Street: No Nightlife, More Police

Despite the current significant increase in Covid, Italy still has fewer cases than most other European countries. Much less of the Covid comeback leaders: Spain, Czech Republic, France and the Netherlands.

Italy the cumulative number of Covid cases over the last two weeks it was 45 per 100,000 people. That compares with 319 in Spain, 246 for France and 100 in the UK.

On Sunday, Italy’s Health Minister, Roberto Speranza, said the country was still in “a significant growth phase in infection rates”.

That’s after Italy passed 2,000 new daily cases for the first time since April. On October 3 the spike continued, with 2,844 new infections. Deaths also started to rise: 27 were recorded on the same day.

The government will announce further tough restrictions on Wednesday. Emergency decisions may include an 11pm “curfew” for restaurant and bar reports Corriere della Sera.

Outdoor day and night masks are another possibility, while the military presence on the streets will be increased. “The entrance to the shop will always be limited according to the space, the restaurant will have to respect the distance and the discotheque will remain closed.”

Face coverings are mandatory in confined indoor spaces and the ban on large gatherings will continue. The private sector will also be shut down, the newspaper said.

And therein lies part of the successful lockdown of Italy: a swift reaction to new threats.

Italy Is Seen as the Pioneer Post-Lockdown

Although the current “boom” as Print result calling it, the infection rate remains relatively low. Something that has been linked to Italy’s pioneering Covid recovery strategy, and unregulated rules.

Traveled in Italy in September, I was surprised by the strong sense of discipline on the barrier size. Even on wine festival. Certain sweet life has started to appear again, but with great civic responsibility.

Italians have been afraid to comply to some extent. The country has been hard hit by the pandemic, a readiness to comply with the rules laid down during the severe and persistent lockdown. So much for Latin kink.

“The national stereotype of the Italian rebellious has been distorted,” reported Mark Lowen, the BBC’s Rome correspondent last week.

Italian Trinity: Test, Rules, Obedience

So how has Italy largely bucked the trend as Europe stepped up its alarming new spike? “Tests, rules, compliance,” Lowen said. “Italy is on high alert, but the first to fall are now hoping to show others how to stay on their feet.”

• While the test rate is only one-third that of the UK, testing is fast and wild. There was no sign of trouble access the test which has been seen in the UK and elsewhere.
• Tests have been conducted at airports and train stations for weeks, and are now also being carried out at schools. Testing for many travelers is mandatory, especially after someone has reported associating 61% of new cases with them.
• Italians have great respect for the use of masks and social distancing. There is a strong feeling like in Asia to protect others wearing a mask.
• Police checks and fines of up to € 3,000 support compliance.
• The restaurant has strict health protocols. “Italy takes safety as seriously as its food, with screens, disposable menus and contract tracking,” Lowen reports.

“I feel proud of the Italians because they follow the rules,” Italy’s deputy health minister, Pierpaolo Sileri, told the BBC. “But the war is not over. We still need to see what happens in October, November and winter. “

Back to WE, Schaffner pointed out the failure of mass testing.

“Even though it is much better than a few months ago, we still need a quick test, a quick result. We don’t have a national policy, and we haven’t focused on creating a test environment. “

Regarding masks: “We should all wear masks when we walk outside our front door,” he said. “We need to observe social distancing. Simple things are very important. ”

… In my experience, Italians have the ability to understand the simple things in life, and turn them into creative intelligence.