COVID-19 crisis: 21 million Italians face economic hardship
Max Civili
Press TV, Rome
A recent study shows some 21 million people in Italy are experiencing financial troubles as the country’s economy is hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
Stringent lockdown restrictions, introduced in early March by the Italian government, have shut down about 70-percent of all the country’s non essential production volume.
According to a study conducted by the University of La Tuscia, 3-point-7 million people in Italy have lost their sole source of income due to the COVID-19 crisis.
European Union leaders are set to discuss a recovery plan during a crucial Eurogroup meeting on April 23. However, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, and Finland have voiced their strong opposition to a shared European response to the crisis.
Meanwhile, health officials have warned that the COVID-19 mortality rate in Italian nursing homes is much higher than the average national figure. According to a top health institute, there have been 6,000-7,000 deaths since February 1st in Italian nursing homes.
Italian authorities are investigating the nursing home deaths more closely, following the reports that showed hundreds of people have died at the facilities across the northern Lombardy region alone. The probes are focused on whether malpractice helped the spread of the coronavirus in the care homes.
According to data gathered from five European countries including Italy, Spain, France, Ireland, and Belgium, around 50 percent of COVID-19 deaths are occurring in nursing homes.
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