A former European Society of Virology doctor was quoted in a CNN article suggesting that fears of being labeled racist contributed to the lack of readiness and the devastating spread of the coronavirus in Italy.
“There was a proposal to isolate people coming from the epicenter, coming from China,” European Society of Virology’s Dr. Giorgio Palu said. “Then it became seen as racist, but they were people coming from the outbreak.”
Palu concluded that fear led to the current situation and added that the country was “lazy in the beginning” and referenced “too much politics in Italy.”
European Society of Virology’s Dr. Giorgio Palu: Concerns about appearing “racist” prevented steps that could have saved lives https://t.co/SVHLqzZyYS pic.twitter.com/lk45ADTrsp
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) March 20, 2020
Palu said he believes the lockdown should have been wider and stricter earlier and should be tighter now as millions of Italians are currently being forced to stay home.
“We should have done more diagnostic tests in Lombardy where there was a big nucleus,” Palu said “There is no sense in trying to go to the supermarket once a week. You have to limit your time out. Isolation is the key thing.”
Italy has been one of the hardest-hit countries in the world during the coronavirus crisis and has witnessed over 4,000 deaths and almost 50,000 confirmed cases.
Media outlets in the United States have been accused of injecting race into the discussion, as well, criticizing President Trump for pointing out that the coronavirus originated in China.
“I didn’t appreciate the fact that China was saying that our military gave it to them. Our military did not give it to anybody,” he said in defense of using the term “Chinese virus.”
“China was putting out information, which was false, that our military gave this to them. That was false. And, rather than having an argument, I said I had to call it where it came from. It did come from China. So, I think it’s a very accurate term,” he said.
