More than 220 people are infected in Italy with the Coronavirus. Seven deaths have occurred so far. The country is the first in Europe and the third globally for the spread of Covid-19, the virus that has been spreading all over the world since the beginning of the year. At the moment, Lombardy, Veneto, Emilia Romagna, Lazio and Piedmont are the regions involved. More than one hundred people are infected in Lombardy alone. Three cases of coronavirus have also been confirmed in Trentino. New cases are confirmed in Florence and Palermo.
Police manned checkpoints around quarantined towns in the north of Italy on Monday and residents stocked up on food as the country became the focal point of the outbreak in Europe and fears of its crossing borders spread.
Picture: Monica Montalti
Along with the increase in the number of contagions, concern also rises, with the risk of a general psychosis. Supermarkets in “red” areas, such as Casalpusterlengo, are already under siege. All customers are strictly wearing masks, with long queues at the points of sale.
But also in other cities in the regions, where the Coronavirus has been detected, supermarkets are undergoing a real assault. See Milan (video below), Piacenza but also Vignola and Cesena, where they have been sold out mainly of packaged bread, milk, water, fruit and vegetables.
All wholesale markets in Italy are regularly open. Reports of closed structures are totally unfounded even in the regions most affected by the Coronavirus for now. Italmercati and Fedagromercati follow the evolution of the situation in constant contact with the Civil Protection. “So far there is stable business activity, without any significant downturn, but it is clear that there is a concern for the coming days. The important thing is also to avoid precipitous decisions such as the closure of markets, where totally safe products are on sale.”
Picture: Stefano Malagoli
Coronavirus has started to affect the national economy but it could have a positive impact on sales. Forced to stay home, people will consume more fruit and vegetables.
Tripled orders for potatoes from the Veneto region are recorded for one company.
On the contrary, a company from Basilicata said: “At a time when demand for strawberries was very high, orders were halved or even cancelled due to the Coronavirus spread”.
“We've had problems with a few platforms in the municipalities known as emergency hotbeds. Several batches of our product have been diverted to other platforms, while some have been blocked. It's a situation we live day by day. We'll have to wait and see what happens,” says a managing director of a company in Calabria.
An additional problem concerns transporters: they are beginning to have difficulties in guaranteeing deliveries. And this has an economic impact on operating costs.
The activity of the airports continues regularly. Croatia, Hungary and Ireland advised against travel to the affected areas, and Italians traveling abroad began to feel the effects of a crackdown. The blockade of trains from Italy to Austria lifted. Romania quarantined citizens arriving from Lombardy and Veneto.