After the fall of the Draghi government, the electoral campaign ignites and produces surprises or pyrotechnic declarations from some candidate every day, but unfortunately a certainty still resists permanently in Italy: the Covid.
The outgoing government also has among its obligations that of continuing to monitor and fight the pandemic, led in these activities by the silent former Minister of Health, Roberto Speranza. In much of Western Europe, Covid now seems a distant memory, despite the sometimes increasing infections, albeit with milder symptoms: in Switzerland, for example, the pandemic has even been declared over already last February.
In Italy, on the other hand, very restrictive rules still remain in force regarding isolation and quarantine, which should soon be lightened.
At the end of July, the Undersecretary of Health, Andrea Costa, he said he was convinced that by now we had to live with this virus. To achieve this, it would be necessary review the rules for asymptomatic positives. The undersecretary had made predictions about possible reductions in restrictions. In particular, the reduction of the quarantine (to 5 days!), The so-called “light” quarantine, up to the possibility of eliminating it for the asymptomatic, giving them the opportunity to go to work perhaps only wearing an Ffp2 mask.
These easing of the rules would serve above all to not block the country again, still causing dramatic economic hardships to many categories of workers. In the meantime, however, we have practically arrived in August. Ma where did the long-awaited “light” quarantine?
Two of the most highly regarded experts, who have not always had similar ideas during the pandemic, both seem in favor of light quarantine, albeit in different ways, as reported by beraking latest news Salute. Matteo Bassetti, director of the Infectious Diseases Clinic of the San Martino Polyclinic in Genoa and Walter Ricciardi, consultant to the Minister of Health and professor of hygiene at the Catholic University. Bassetti shoots zero on the Ministry of Health (to which some newspapers even give him as a possible candidate with the next government). The “light” quarantine, announced four weeks ago, has not yet been formalized and therefore, according to Bassetti, the Italians are harmed by this inaction of the ministry. If the current isolation rules were extended until next autumn, says the Ligurian professor, there would really be a risk of blocking many fundamental services and paralyzing Italy again. So the provisions must now be changed quickly, also because we are already lagging behind Europe. According to Bassetti, the new measures should favor a sort of personalized quarantine: with no more symptoms, with a negative swab, or after 48 hours even without a swab, you should be able to be free to go out.
Walter Ricciardi on the other hand, it remains more conservative, although it opens up some timid glimmers. He basically relies on the principle that, in a pandemic, the positives cannot roam freely and infect other people. However, the days of quarantine, even according to the minister’s consultant professor, should be reviewed and reduced, limiting them to what is strictly necessary, but not eliminating them completely.
The “light” quarantine, promised by the government, and longed for by many productive categories and by many Italian citizens, is now becoming a matter “heavy“, heavy. Roberto Speranza is missing in approving the new rules or making statements that portend positive news.
Andrea Gebbia, August 12, 2022