Return of the pandemic in Italy

Call it a second wave or even the third, but, Coronavirus has come back with vengeance in Italy sending alarm signals loud and clear to the world that it is no push over. The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Italy passed the symbolic one million mark in November.

Italy recorded almost 33,000 new infections in the last 24 hours to reach 1,028,424 in total since the pandemic began. Deaths are also rising fast, with another 623 reported, taking the total to 42,953. Italy, one of the nations first hit during the pandemic, saw its deadliest day in over six months with 580 reported deaths on November 6. And that record has been broken this week. Italy was the first in Europe to be hit by the outbreak earlier this year, sparking an unprecedented national lockdown that curbed infection rates but devastated the economy.

After a lull over the summer, cases have been on the rise again in recent weeks, in step with much of the continent. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte's government last week brought in a nationwide overnight curfew and early closing for bars and restaurants, shutting them altogether and further restricting residents' movements in regions where the infection rates are highest. These measures are not enough to keep the infection under check.

In fact, Italy seems to know this and yet is afraid to invite people's backlash by the imposition of yet another lockdown. Several regions, including hard-hit Lombardy, have been declared "red zones" and placed under rules similar to those seen in lockdown. But medical experts are pushing for tougher national measures, amid warnings that health services are already buckling under the pressure. Italian media reports the government is looking at whether or not lockdown may now be necessary.

In an interview with La Stampa newspaper Conte said he was working "to avoid the closure of the entire national territory". "We are constantly monitoring the evolution of the contagion, the reactivity and the capacity of our health system to respond," he said. "Above all we are confident that we will soon see the effects of the restrictive measures already adopted."

Italy is the 10th country to pass the million cases mark, after the United States, India, Brazil, Russia, France, Spain, Argentina, the United Kingdom and Colombia. The problem is not only with the onset of winter, but also with the indiscriminate opening of the bars and restaurants. People have started flocking the 'party times' from the day one of the reopening of the cities and marriages have become the normal crowded affairs. Italians have forgotten that they have the highest fatality rate on the continent, at over 4.18 percent.

This should not only be an eye-opener for Italy but for India too. The way we are reverting to our pre-Covid-19 lifestyle is so alarming that we too might encounter a similar situation. Delhi is reeling under a new wave already. Let us be cautious. Economy should be taken care of, no doubt. But, life is more precious.