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March 16, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – On Friday, President Trump declared a state of national emergency due to the coronavirus outbreak. Countless European countries have closed their borders in an effort to stop the spread of the virus. The entire country of Italy is shut down, with the exception of grocery stores and pharmacies.
The panic that has swept across the entire world is due mainly to the lack of information health officials and scientists have about the virus. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a strain that has not been seen previously and the transmission and death rates are currently difficult to calculate.
In today’s episode of The Van Maren Show, Alessandra Bocchi, who is currently in Rome, joins Van Maren to discuss what is actually happening on the ground in Rome and across Italy.
Bocchi is a freelance journalist who writes for the Wall Street Journal, First Things, and many other publications. Bocchi was on The Van Maren Show in the past to share her on the ground experiences of the Hong Kong protests.
Watch the full episode here:
Bocchi shares with Van Maren that she is from Lombardy, the hardest hit region of Italy, but is “stuck” in Rome due to the government’s requests that people not leave their current locations in order to stop the spread of the virus.
The streets of Rome, according to Bocchi, are deserted, with people only leaving their apartments for absolute necessities, i.e., groceries and medicine. Practically everything has been shut down.
She shares that it is even worse in the Lombardy region where the first case of COVID-19 in Italy was reported.
Bocchi and Van Maren discuss the distressing perspective people are sharing about COVID-19 not being concerning because it is killing mainly people over 70 years old. This lack of concern for the value of all life is truly disheartening. Some are even hoping this outbreak will help to decrease the world’s population.
Bocchi and Van Maren encourage everyone to listen to the experts when it comes to understanding what is happening with the coronavirus. There is so much misinformation being spread.
As the world looks to Italy to understand more about this novel virus, you don’t want to miss this inside look at what is really happening there.
Listen to the full episode here:
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