Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said Thursday that Italy was being harmed by misreporting abroad of the coronavirus situation. "Lots of mistaken reports (abroad) are damaging our economy and reputation," Di Maio told a press conference at the foreign press association in Rome.
"Our scientific community is addressing the situation brilliantly. "We have gone from an epidemic risk to an 'infodemic' and our relationship with the foreign press at the moment is precious". The minister stressed that "Italy is a reliable country" and pointed out that all three patients treated for the coronavirus at Rome's Spallanzani infectious-diseases hospital had been cured. He also highlighted that, in relative terms, the outbreak was still small and the authorities were able to present comprehensive data because of the high number of swabs being taken.
"We cannot be blamed for having done more checks that anyone," Di Maio said.
"We have taken 1,000 swabs. It can't be something to be blamed for. "The people in quarantine are 0.089% of the population and 0.01 of Italy's territory is in isolation.
"Without wanting to play things down, there are just over 10 towns and cities involved in Italy at the moment.
"If our children go to school in most cases it means that foreigners can come here as tourists and investors".
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