‘Prepare for the worst’ – fears grow here after surge in Italy

Concern about the spread of the coronavirus seems to have escalated sharply in recent days. Why?

The large outbreak in Italy is very unsettling. At least 219 people in Italy’s north have tested positive for the virus and seven have died. None of the people had been to China. Officials have still not identified the person who brought the infection to Italy.

Is it under control now?

The Italian government has introduced draconian measures, closing off the worst-hit areas in the regions of Lombardy and Veneto. Milan city is not under lockdown and airlines are continuing to fly in and out. In 11 north Italian towns, 50,000 people have been in lockdown since Friday night, with police patrolling the streets and fines imposed on anyone caught entering or leaving outbreak areas.

Does the significant travel back and forth between Ireland the Italy increases our risk of seeing a case?

There is no case of the coronavirus detected in Ireland. Around 79 have been tested here over the past few weeks. All were negative. But there is now an increased threat to Ireland and other EU countries.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention said in the light of the outbreak in Italy the risk of similar clusters in EU countries has been elevated to “moderate to high”.

What is the advice to Irish people who may be travelling to Italy?

The Department of Foreign Affairs is advising people not travel to affected areas in Italy.

These include Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, Emilia Romagna and Lazio. There is no travel ban and it is a matter for the person themselves.

But they must weigh up the risk as well as restrictions on movement and closures they would face depending on where in the region they travel to. In light of the Department of Foreign Affairs advice people who cancel can get a refund.

What if people in Ireland have been in the affected regions in the last two weeks and are now home? Should they ask for a test?

If they are unwell and have symptoms like a cough, shortness of breath, breathing difficulties or fever they should contact their GP for advice by phone, rather than going to the surgery or hospital.

Will this affect big events such as the upcoming rugby international in Dublin between Ireland and Italy?

The match is under review for now but not cancelled. It is expected to be today before the expert group may make a decision on it. They will carry out a risk assessment based on advice from the European Centre for Disease Control and the World Health Organisation. The prospect of large numbers of Italian fans coming here and the risk they might pose would have to be assessed.

If that kind of outbreak could happen in Italy surely it could also occur here, are we looking at similar lockdowns here in the future?

Ireland remains coronavirus-free and the hope is that if and when it does come it will be confined to a small number of cases which will be contained. To do that could involve the roll-out of a series of strict measures including getting people to self-isolate. It’s unchartered territory but some lockdown could not be ruled out. The advice is to prepare for the worst.