Despite the alerts of the World Health Organization issued starting from 5 January 2020, and despite the fact that the national plan to deal with a pandemic (albeit an influenza one) had already been in force for 14 years, Italy was dramatically late in applying the provisions . All of this contributed to the massacre that marked the history of our country. There are many things that didn’t work, according to what emerged in the investigation by the Bergamo prosecutor’s office. 19 people risk ending up on trial, from the political class – including the then premier Giuseppe Conte and his health minister Roberto Speranza – to the managers and technicians of national and local health institutions. The disputed crimes, depending on the positions, are: manslaughter of 57 people, culpable epidemic, culpable injury to 34 health workers, forgery and refusal of official documents.
THE ACCUSATIONS
According to the prosecutors, at a national level, the provision of masks, gloves, overalls and overshoes for healthcare personnel was not promptly verified. The request to the regions on stocks was forwarded “only on February 4”. And “only on 6 March” was a negotiated procedure banned for the purchase of medical devices for intensive and sub-intensive care, “not providing – as stated in the indictment – for timely procurement in the light of insufficient stocks” . Furthermore, “only on February 24” did the census of public infectious disease departments and the number of lung ventilators present in hospitalization facilities begin. Nor was the adequate training of health personnel “verified – according to the indictment – even with the carrying out of specific exercises.
“The surveillance protocols for travelers from affected areas were not implemented”, as happened for the couple of Chinese tourists (the first positive results at Covid in Italy). Surveillance was limited only to direct flights from China, and not to indirect ones, as envisaged by the National Pandemic Plan of 9 February 2006. Furthermore, the then head of civil protection Angelo Borrelli “only starting from 26 February 2020” instituted the “Platform for uploading data for epidemiological surveillance”.
FONTANA MAIL
The Scientific Technical Committee (Cts) established by the Civil Protection on 5 February 2020 is accused, in competition with Conte and the governor of Lombardy Attilio Fontana, of not having extended the “red zone” in time to the municipalities of Val Seriana (including Alzano Lombardo and Nembro), “despite the further increase in contagion” in the region and “the verification of the conditions which, according to the Covid Plan, corresponded to the most catastrophic scenario”. This led – according to the prosecutors – at least 4,148 more deaths in that area. In particular, Fontana, with two separate emails dated 27 and 28 February sent to Conte, “did not report any critical issues relating to the spread of the infection in va Seriana”, “and therefore did not request further and more stringent containment measures, despite being fully aware that the “r0” indicator had reached a value of 2».
COUNT’S DEFENSE
«Today there is almost a collective removal, but it was an invisible virus with which we fought almost with our bare hands, because we were the first western country most affected – explained the leader of the M5S yesterday – There was no handbook, we have followed a path and I believe I have acted with the utmost commitment, sense of responsibility and humility in confrontation with the scientists, who did not exhibit certainties in the first phase of the pandemic”. «I am absolutely available to offer my maximum collaboration in all the judicial offices that will be offered to me – Conte specified – for the victims of Bergamo, but not only: we must honor 188 thousand dead throughout the national territory. This is a wound that won’t heal.”
Meanwhile, the court of ministers has already been set up in Brescia which will have to evaluate the positions of Conte and Speranza. It will be presided over by a woman, Mariarosa Pipponzi, president of the labor section of the Brescia court, who will be joined by two other magistrates, all drawn by lot. The judges will have 90 days to decide whether to file or transmit the documents to the chief prosecutor of Bergamo, to request authorization to proceed with the competent Chamber.