Donati urges calmness as the virus hits his homeland
Former Celtic and Hamilton Accies star Massimo Donati has appealed for calm over the coronavirus outbreak in his homeland.
More than 800 cases have been reported in Italy with 21 fatalities and many towns in the most-heavily affected regions of Lombardy and Veneto under lockdown.
Sport has been hit. Inter Milan versus Ludogorets in the Europa League’s round of 32 was played behind closed doors, with photographs of the Bulgarians arriving in the country clad in masks and gloves viewed across the world.
Five of today’s Serie A games, including Juventus’ game at home to Inter Milan, have been postponed and Italy’s men’s and women’s Six Nations rugby teams’ trip to meet Ireland on March 6 and 7 have been called off.
It is a source of concern for Donati, who shares the government’s fears about the need to be vigilant about not only coronavirus, but also the spreading of misinformation and disinformation about the outbreak.
“Even though I am based in Scotland now, I have many friends and relatives in the country, so I am following the situation very closely,” said the former Kilmarnock assistant manager.
“I was born in San Vito di Tagliamento, in the province of Pordenone. It is not one of the areas reported to be ‘at risk’. But it is still in the north of Italy. “From the news I am hearing, it seems that there is unjustified alarmism.
“I read that more than 400 people die each year from flu, often the elderly or people with serious illnesses as we are seeing with the corona fatalities. But there is nothing like this kind of reaction. “It seems to me almost as if someone has an interest in spreading panic. “This situation is hurting all of Italy, which is now being seen as a dangerous
place for people to come to, whether to visit or to work in.
“And, of course, football is also paying dearly for the phobia about corona.
“Playing some games behind closed doors and, at the same time, allowing fans of teams from the same city to travel away makes no sense.”
While the figures keep rising, in his homeland and on a global scale, Donati is optimistic the containment procedures will pay off.
“My hope is the situation will soon start to improve and that everything will start to return to normal, both in terms of the football world and in the wider society in general,” he said.
“Until then, I will keep following events closely in order to stay updated.
“As I say, it is my opinion there is alarmism surrounding the issue at the moment. But because of this it is even more important to keep informed.”