THREAD / Italy just took dramatic measures to restrict the movement of 16 million people in Lombardy, whose capital is Milan, and other northern provinces, including Venice, to prevent the spread of #Covid19. This seems drastic, but it might also be late. theatlantic.com/international/…
For weeks now, the number of #Covid19 cases has been growing in Lombardy and elsewhere in northern Italy, and the death toll has also been rising dramatically. Italy has the most cases after China. 
3x / A number of towns outside Milan that was a major #Covid19 cluster were placed under quarantine, but otherwise Italians had been traveling around the country no problem, going from North to South and back. The government downplayed the risk of contagion.
4x / @nzingaretti, the head of the governing center-left @pdnetwork and prez of the Lazio region, went to Milan Feb. 27 to have an aperitivo and say everything was fine. This weekend, Zingaretti said he'd tested positive for #COVID2019.
5x / So did the president of the Piedmont region, and the head of the Italian army. The president of Lombardy is in self-imposed quarantine after one of his colleagues tested positive. Suffice it to say, this has caused consternation in the entire political establishment.
6x / It's not just about the death rate, but about the public health system. The head of the Lombardy region's intensive care crisis unit says the system is on the brink of collapse. He expects ~18,000 cases soon, of which ~3,000 will need intensive care corriere.it/cronache/20_ma…
7x / Friday, the @TheLancet wrote: "High-income countries... must abandon their fears of the negative short-term public and economic consequences that may follow from restricting public freedoms as part of more assertive infection control measures." thelancet.com/journals/lance…
8x / Even before Italy imposed these new rules, countries from Israel to the Democratic Republic of Congo had been blocking or quarantining for 2 weeks anyone arriving from Italy, China, France, Germany africanews.com/2020/03/07/drc…
9x / Italy just banned weddings, funerals, religious gatherings, sporting events in the affected northern areas and closed museums, theaters, cinemas, libraries, schools nationwide. Unclear how they'll enforce the travel restrictions.
10 / Restaurants & bars across Italy must operate with restricted hours, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. (dinner is normally 8p.m.) and people must sit 1 meter away from each other. This pits conviviality against a sense of responsibility. But if the alternative is intensive care... #COVID19
11x / In #France, where the number of cases has doubled since last week, the government has kept the country at "Level 2," which is one step below epidemic level, but banned public gatherings of +1,000 people and uncapped overtime hours for health-care workers. #COVID2019
12x/ In France, schools have been closed and other precautionary measures taken in the Val d'Oise outside Paris and also in Ajaccio, Corsica, where the number of cases has been rising.
13x / On Friday, #Germany's health minister said: “The danger of the virus is great, but the danger of the panic that could result from this is even greater." I hope those words don't come back to haunt him. wsj.com/articles/growi…
14// If you've learned something from this thread, be sure to check out the excellent #COVID19 coverage in @TheAtlantic including by @jameshamblin @alexismadrigal @yayitsrob @juliettekayyem
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