Health ministry COVID consultant
Walter Ricciardi on Monday called for immediate targeted local
lockdowns to stem a steady rise in the number of cases in Italy.
He said the government should not wait for Christmas to apply a
new national lockdown.
The daily tally of cases has risen sharply recently with over
10,000 on Saturday followed by over 11,000 on Sunday, new
records.
"I think that some targeted lockdowns must be done immediately,
we must absolutely not wait for Christmas," Ricciardi said on
Italian TV.
If the proper measures are taken now Italians will be able to
enjoy "an almost normal" Christmas, he said on Agora on Rai3.
"But if we hesitate, we'll see an exponential growth in cases
over the next few weeks, especially in certain areas of the
country,. and then we'll have to take very tough decisions
later, but much more time will be needed".
The consultant said that with daily tallies of 10,000-11,000 new
cases, the necessary containment is such that a lockdown must be
enacted, targeted, but it must be done".
Ricciardi, a lecturer in hygiene at Rome's Sacro Cuore
University, also said the government's track and trace programme
was not up to speed.
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