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HEALTH

Indian coronavirus variant detected in northern Italy

Authorities in Veneto, northern Italy, announced on Monday they had identified two cases of the Indian variant of coronavirus.

Published: 26 April 2021 17:28 CEST
Indian coronavirus variant detected in northern Italy
Photo: Piero Cruciatti/AFP

The news follows reports of another case in the central region of Tuscany last month, and comes after the Italian government banned arrivals from India, which is struggling with a catastrophic, record-breaking outbreak that has overwhelmed hospitals.

“Today in (the city of) Bassano we have the first two patients, two Indian citizens,” announced Luca Zaia, head of the Veneto region.

“There are now thousands of variants, and sooner or later they’ll all arrive,” he said. “We have to face up to this, and move forward.”

READ ALSO: Italy bans arrivals from virus-hit India

Bassano, in the province of Vicenza, lies some 65 kilometres (40 miles) north-east of Venice.

The two patients were identified as a father and adult daughter of Indian origin who recently returned from a trip to India. They are currently isolating at home.

Health Minister Roberto Speranza on Sunday announced a new ban on anyone entering Italy who has been in India in the past 14 days.

Anyone already in Italy who had been in India in the past 14 days should contact health authorities, he added.

With a new coronavirus variant spreading through its 1.3 billion people, India has become the world’s biggest coronavirus hotspot in recent days, reporting 349,691 new cases on Sunday alone.

In the past week, more than two million cases have been detected, a 58-percent increase on the previous seven days, according to figures compiled by AFP.

Member comments

  2. Creating what? Burning bodies on a pyre in Delhi? They’re sure scaring the hell out of 1.4 billion people in India then, including my family that can’t leave and all have tested positive with no ability to seek care.

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POLITICS

Italian minister indicted for Covid-era fraud

Prosecutors on Friday charged Italy's tourism minister with fraud relating to government redundancy funds claimed by her publishing companies during the coronavirus pandemic.

Published: 4 May 2024 09:19 CEST
Italian minister indicted for Covid-era fraud

Opposition lawmakers immediately requested the resignation of Daniela Santanche, a leading member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s far-right Brothers of Italy party.

Santanche, 63, has strongly rejected the allegations, including in a defiant appearance in parliament last year.

“The Milan prosecutor’s office today requested the indictment of the Minister Santanche and other persons as well as the companies Visibilia Editore and Visibilia Concessionaria,” the office said in a brief statement.

They were indicted “for alleged fraud of the INPS (National Institute for Social Security) in relation to alleged irregularities in the use of the Covid 19 redundancy fund, for a total of 13 employees”.

According to media reports, Visibilia is accused of obtaining state funds intended to help companies struggling with the pandemic to temporarily lay off staff — when in fact the 13 employees continued to work.

Santanche sold her stake in Visibilia when she joined the government of Meloni, who took office in October 2022.

The investigation has been going on for months, but with the decision by prosecutors to indict, opposition parties said Santanche should resign.

“We expect the prime minister to have a minimum of respect for the institutions and ask for Daniela Santanche’s resignation,” said Elly Schlein, leader of the centre-left Democratic Party.

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