Europe's news in English

COPY LINK

HEALTH

Covid-19: Italians warned to be cautious after slight rise in new cases

Authorities have reminded people in Italy to follow three basic health precautions as the number of infections rose slightly.

Published: 23 July 2020 18:08 CEST

Covid-19: Italians warned to be cautious after slight rise in new cases

A woman has her body temperature scanned at entrance to the Uffizi Gallery Museum in Florence. Photo: Tiziana Fabi/AFP

Italy registered an increase in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases on Thursday, meaning infections had risen in the country for a second day running.

Earlier on Thursday, Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza warned in a radio interview that a second wave later is the year was “possible”, and urged people to continue to take three “essential” measures to lower the risk: wearing marks, washing hands regularly, and social distancing.

There were 306 cases detected in 24 hours, compared to 280 on Wednesday and 128 on Tuesday, according to data from the Civil Protection Agency,

Officials also reported 10 deaths attributed to Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, with the total Italian death toll rising to 35,092.

There are now 12,404 known positive cases in Italy, and 49 patients are in intensive care.

While many Italian regions have recently been recording zero new cases, on Thursday only one region, Valle d'Aosta, had no new positives in the last 24 hours.

Out of the 306 cases identified, 82 were in Lombardy, 55 in Emilia Romagna, 30 in the autonomous Province of Trento, 26 in Lazio, 22 in Veneto, 16 in Campania, 15 in Liguria, and 10 in Abruzzo. All other regions reported a single-digit increase.

READ ALSO: Italy's mortality rate doubled during worst month of Covid-19 outbreak, study shows

The health ministry said the situation in Italy remains “extremely fluid,” stating that Thursday's figures “highlight how the epidemic of Covid-19 in Italy has not yet ended.”

“In some regions, the presence of new cases imported from another region and/or from a foreign country is reported.”

Speranza had said on Tuesday that, while Italy is now “out of the storm” and over the worst of the health emergency, people in the country must remain cautious.

He confirmed that ministers are still discussing whether or not to extend the current state of emergency in Italy beyond the current cut-off date of July 31st.

It is widely expected to be prolonged until October 31st though this has not yet been officially confirmed, Italian media reports.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.

Become a Member to leave a comment.

'In the dark': Why Brits in Italy are still unable to prove rights to free healthcare

Cancer patients are among those in need of treatment but unable to access the Italian national health service amid confusion over post-Brexit rules, campaigners say, after clarifications from the UK and Italian governments have so far failed to resolve bureaucratic deadlocks at local authority level.

Since the end of the Brexit transition period in 2021, many British nationals resident in Italy covered by the Withdrawal Agreement (WA) have reported difficulties in proving their right to free healthcare under the Italian public system.

The problem was exacerbated this year after the Italian government in January hiked the minimum annual fee for ‘voluntary’ healthcare registration from €387 to €2,000, which many said they were unable to pay.

The British government in February stepped in to clarify that UK nationals covered by the WA should not be subject to charges for healthcare, and on its Living in Italy website it advised those affected to show their local health authority office (Azienda Sanitaria Locale, or ASL) an official note published by the Italian health ministry on February 15th which sets out their rights (find it here, in Italian.)

WA beneficiaries “can compulsorily enrol (iscrizione obbligatoria) with the Italian National Health System,” states the final section, pointing out that the deal, “in Article 23, provides for equal treatment with domestic nationals.”

But for some local health officials, even this written confirmation does not appear to be enough to clear up the confusion.

READ ALSO: ‘Life or death situation’: Brits facing high Italian healthcare costs amid rule change uncertainty

The UK government on Friday, May 17th, updated its guidance to say it had become aware that “some beneficiaries of the Withdrawal Agreement are facing significant problems accessing health services and renewing their healthcare cards,” despite its advice to show local health authorities the official note.

British nationals continue to report that local health authorities around Italy remain unwilling to issue them with a health card, while campaigners say the situation is further complicated for some by the fact that Italian authorities have also refused to issue proof of their permanent residency status, which entitles them to free healthcare.

This was the case for Graham Beresford, a British citizen living in Abruzzo who has been diagnosed with a rare cancer and remains unable to access the free healthcare he is entitled to, as he says local authorities don’t understand the post-Brexit rules.

Graham told The Local in April that the government’s clarifications on the issue had made little difference – his ASL continues to demand he pay the 2,000-euro charge.

READ ALSO: Can I get a refund after wrongly paying Italy’s €2,000 healthcare fee?

“Every time I go to my ASL office, I always feel like I’m dismissed,” Graham said. “I told the ASL worker I need medication for my cancer and she replied lots of people come in here with sob stories.

“There genuinely seems to be no compassion whatsoever.”

Graham’s story was reported in The Guardian on May 12th ahead of UK foreign secretary David Cameron’s first major meeting with European commission vice-president Maroš Šefčovič to discuss post-Brexit relations.

Campaigners also wrote to Cameron in April to appeal for help with the “desperate” situation faced by those unable to access care in Italy.

In its update to the Living in Italy website on Friday, the British government stated: “Since [the health ministry’s note] was published, and particularly in recent days and weeks, it has become clear to us that not all Italian authorities are consistently following this guidance.”

“We are urgently speaking to all relevant parts of the Italian government to clarify the situation so that we can give clear advice to those affected as soon as possible.

“We also know that this problem is linked to the many difficulties some are experiencing with obtaining an attestazione di soggiorno permanente and/or the Carta di Soggiorno permanente. We are working to help with these issues too.

“We will update this page as soon as we have further news.”

READ ALSO: ‘We are desperate’: Why the UK must help Britons with Italian healthcare charges

Clarissa Killwick from Beyond Brexit, a group for UK citizens in Italy, said the situation “should never have been allowed to happen” and that there had been “a series of communication failures and inconsistencies.”

“We’re not far short of five months after the introduction of the €2,000 new minimum for voluntary contributions and there is still no clarity,” she added.

“There are fraught exchanges in public offices because people on both sides of the counter are in the dark or with conflicting information.

“People need information they can rely on, unequivocally. What do you say to someone who is waiting for an operation but has no idea what is going on?”

Url copied to clipboard!