NEWT GINGRICH: I AM IN ITALY AMID THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS. AMERICA MUST ACT NOW—AND ACT BIG | OPINION
Via della Conciliazione with the St.Peters Basilica is seen completely empty on March 13 in Rome.MARCO DI LAURO/GETTY
By Newt Gingrich On 3/13/20 at 4:51 PM EDT
The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic poses two threats: public health and economic.
I am living in Italy, where my wife, Callista, is the ambassador to the Holy See.
I have watched first-hand as the Italian government has worked hard to contain the coronavirus by imposing strong public health measures to try to get the epidemic under control. These measures will lead to significant economic challenges.
As I write:
All schools are closed in all of Italy.
All churches are closed (including St. Peter's Basilica).
All weddings and funerals are postponed.
All restaurants are closed.
In fact, all stores except grocery stores and pharmacies are closed.
People are urged to work from home unless they work in special designated factories
The streets are almost empty.
These steps are not an overreaction. The coronavirus is out of control of in Northern Italy. As of 6 p.m. local/1 p.m. EST on March 10, there were 15,113 total cases in Italy, with 12,839 active cases, 1,016 deaths and 1,258 recoveries. And there were 162 total cases here in Rome.
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