‘Negligence in initial stage proved costly for Italy’

“When Covid-19 was reported in Italy, neither the public nor the government considered it seriously. The negligence in the initial stages proved costly for the country,” said Shree Madhu Bhat, a PhD scholar, who recently returned to her native Kulai, from Italy.

She has been pursuing her research for PhD at University of Turin in Italy since October 2019.

"Covid-19 was reported in Italy in mid-February. Initially, everyone considered it as normal cold, fever and cough. No one had imagined that the virus would spread at such a faster pace,” she said.

The lockdown was announced much later in Italy. Initially, it was restricted to schools, colleges and PG study centres. But, bars, restaurants, pubs and malls, where students would gather in large numbers, were exempted from the lockdown.

“I left for India on March 14, during which even the public transport system was in place. People were moving freely from one place to another. The authorities and people had not considered social distancing seriously,” she explained.