1,444 more deaths in Italy
Weekend toll rockets as UK is warned it faces same horror in two weeks
ITALY saw its weekend death toll soar yesterday with 1,444 killed by coronavirus in just two days – as experts warned Britain is heading the same way.
Last night, Italy said 651 had succumbed to the disease. It came on top of a record 793 on Saturday, pushing the country’s dead to 5,476, a third of the world’s total.
France also reported another surge in coronavirus deaths – by 112 to a total of 674. Over the weekend, sources close to Emmanuel Macron said Boris Johnson had imposed more draconian lockdown rules after France threatened to close its border.
Hours after a call with the French leader, the Prime Minister announced that pubs and restaurants would be shut. Mr Macron had told the PM he would have no choice but to ban channel crossings unles the UK made social-distancing rules tougher.
As the Italian figures emerged, Russia and Cuba sent aid to the stricken country, the Pope prepared a special blessing – and the country’s president Sergio Mattarella said his nation was facing an ‘unexpected and serious danger’, with the elderly population ‘decimated’.
In a warning to the world, Mr Mattarella went on: ‘The experience that Italy is developing to combat the infection could be useful for all of Europe and globally. I strongly hope other countries are spared our painful path.’
Mr Johnson warned yesterday the UK’s virus spread is ‘accelerating’ in line with Italy’s, with UK deaths now reaching 281, out of 5,683 positive cases. The UK death figure is similar to that reported by Rome a fortnight ago. He said: ‘We are only a matter of weeks – two or three – behind Italy. The Italians have a superb health care system. And yet their doctors and nurses have been completely overwhelmed.’ As yesterday drew to a
close, Italy closed the door on another week from hell.
But, offering some comfort, the number of confirmed cases had risen by 10 per cent, the lowest rise in percentage terms since the contagion came to light.
‘We don’t want to get over enthusiastic or overestimate a trend, but compared to yesterday there is a slight drop in the figures,’ said Franco Locatelli, the head of Italy’s health council, which advises the government. All non-essential businesses have now been told to close until April 3. In a bid to stop the virus, Italy banned travel within the country last night. Full details of what the restrictions would be were not provided.
In the northern region of Lombardy, where the national outbreak seems to have begun in January, 360 new deaths were announced yesterday, pushing the province’s total to 3,450. The province was the first to have lockdowns imposed, initially on a small cluster of towns. Disturbingly, just under a tenth of the Italians with the virus work in the health system – showing the risks faced by medics. Eighteen Italian doctors have died.
The mounting toll in Italy led Russian president Vladimir Putin to arrange with the prime minister in Rome, Giuseppe Conte, to launch the first of a squadron of nine military planes carrying 100 of his military ‘virus experts’ and medical staff to help. Russia has reported just 306 coronavirus cases so far – and will relish being able to offer help to the West.
Communist Cuba – which has had just 25 cases so far – similarly said it had sent a 52-strong brigade of ‘white robe’ doctors and nurses to Rome. The extra help is unlikely, however, to stop the disease from continuing to devastate Italy.
That much was acknowledged by Pope Francis yesterday when he said he plans this week to deliver an extraordinary ‘Urbi et Orbi’ – ‘To the city and the World’ – blessing, while calling for global prayer to combat the disease.
‘We want to respond to the virus with the universality of prayer, of compassion, of tenderness,’ he said. ‘Let’s remain united.’ Pope Francis called for Christians worldwide to stop whatever they are doing at noon, Rome time, on Wednesday to say the Lord’s Prayer.