'Older Italians Warily Eye Young Crowds, Fearing 2nd Coronavirus Wave' diff viewer (13/14)

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Older Italians Warily Eye Young Crowds, Fearing 2nd Coronavirus Wave	Older Italians Warily Eye Young Crowds, Fearing 2nd Coronavirus Wave
2020-06-24 12:00:53 UTC	2020-06-24 12:33:08 UTC (32 minutes later)
MILAN — After months of living under a strict lockdown in Italy, a closely gathered group of teenagers welcomed a warm evening this week at a verdant park in Milan, gazing at phone screens, embracing and forming a small circle around a playful dog. No one wore a mask.	MILAN — After months of living under a strict lockdown in Italy, a closely gathered group of teenagers welcomed a warm evening this week at a verdant park in Milan, gazing at phone screens, embracing and forming a small circle around a playful dog. No one wore a mask.
Pinuccia Ciancalloni, 59, who was taking her daily walk through the park on Tuesday, pointed at the group with dread. To her, the expressions of young love and healthy sociability amounted to a profound threat.	Pinuccia Ciancalloni, 59, who was taking her daily walk through the park on Tuesday, pointed at the group with dread. To her, the expressions of young love and healthy sociability amounted to a profound threat.
She complained that the dozen teenagers lacked civic sense and could potentially drive up the curve of coronavirus infections just as things had started to improve in the region of northern Italy that is the heart of Italy’s epidemic.	She complained that the dozen teenagers lacked civic sense and could potentially drive up the curve of coronavirus infections just as things had started to improve in the region of northern Italy that is the heart of Italy’s epidemic.
“The problem is with young people,” she said.	“The problem is with young people,” she said.
Italy, the country in Europe with the highest median age among its residents, has long agonized over its relative shortage of youths and the energy they bring. (Around 23 percent of the population is above 65, and about 16 percent is between 15 and 30.)	Italy, the country in Europe with the highest median age among its residents, has long agonized over its relative shortage of youths and the energy they bring. (Around 23 percent of the population is above 65, and about 16 percent is between 15 and 30.)
But the coronavirus pandemic has led many Italians to center their anxieties — unfairly, some experts say — on the public gatherings of the country’s teenagers and young adults, fearing they could bring the virus to the older population, causing a second wave of infections and a new round of restrictions.	But the coronavirus pandemic has led many Italians to center their anxieties — unfairly, some experts say — on the public gatherings of the country’s teenagers and young adults, fearing they could bring the virus to the older population, causing a second wave of infections and a new round of restrictions.
To some, the young are being scapegoated. They say that the vast majority have respected the social-distancing rules.	To some, the young are being scapegoated. They say that the vast majority have respected the social-distancing rules.
“Young people are not today’s plague spreaders,” Nicola Zingaretti, the leader of the governing Democratic Party, wrote on Facebook.	“Young people are not today’s plague spreaders,” Nicola Zingaretti, the leader of the governing Democratic Party, wrote on Facebook.
Italy’s older population has suffered a devastating toll during the pandemic, with 80 being the average age of those who have died of Covid-19, according to Italy’s National Health Institute.	Italy’s older population has suffered a devastating toll during the pandemic, with 80 being the average age of those who have died of Covid-19, according to Italy’s National Health Institute.
But virologists said that while young people could become vehicles to spread the infection to their more vulnerable relatives, it was too early to assess the scope of the danger represented by those enjoying a night out.	But virologists said that while young people could become vehicles to spread the infection to their more vulnerable relatives, it was too early to assess the scope of the danger represented by those enjoying a night out.
Italy has no limit on crowd sizes — except that people must keep a safe distance of one meter apart — now that the lockdown, once the strictest in Europe, has been all but lifted. So long as they observe the distance rule, people may move and meet freely within one region.	Italy has no limit on crowd sizes — except that people must keep a safe distance of one meter apart — now that the lockdown, once the strictest in Europe, has been all but lifted. So long as they observe the distance rule, people may move and meet freely within one region.
But newspapers and television footage have shown a constant stream of images of what one newspaper called “young people’s crazy nights out.” Local officials have called Italy’s young people “irresponsible.” Doctors have accused them of being “assassins.”	But newspapers and television footage have shown a constant stream of images of what one newspaper called “young people’s crazy nights out.” Local officials have called Italy’s young people “irresponsible.” Doctors have accused them of being “assassins.”
Even the country’s prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, has reprimanded the youth.	Even the country’s prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, has reprimanded the youth.
“It is not yet the time for parties, movidas and gatherings of all sorts,” Mr. Conte said in an address to Parliament on May 21, using a Spanish word for nightlife favored by older Italians. He added that everyone needed to take it easy — “especially the young.”	“It is not yet the time for parties, movidas and gatherings of all sorts,” Mr. Conte said in an address to Parliament on May 21, using a Spanish word for nightlife favored by older Italians. He added that everyone needed to take it easy — “especially the young.”
In Brescia, one of the hardest-hit cities in the outbreak, crowds of young people standing inches apart, with their masks under their chins, have infuriated officials who said the young Italians had failed their first exam and would be subject to a weekend curfew. When others crowded into squares in Turin and Verona, the mayor introduced a rule insisting that public drinking could take place only inside bars, with fines of up to 3,000 euros (about $3,300).	In Brescia, one of the hardest-hit cities in the outbreak, crowds of young people standing inches apart, with their masks under their chins, have infuriated officials who said the young Italians had failed their first exam and would be subject to a weekend curfew. When others crowded into squares in Turin and Verona, the mayor introduced a rule insisting that public drinking could take place only inside bars, with fines of up to 3,000 euros (about $3,300).
On Monday, the national government announced a call for 60,000 volunteers to visit gathering places to remind people to respect the social-distancing rules.	On Monday, the national government announced a call for 60,000 volunteers to visit gathering places to remind people to respect the social-distancing rules.
Many said it reminded them of a move by a police state and described it as the introduction of Orwellian “cocktail voyeurs,” or an “antivirus army.” The government later explained it had no intention of creating a nightlife police force.	Many said it reminded them of a move by a police state and described it as the introduction of Orwellian “cocktail voyeurs,” or an “antivirus army.” The government later explained it had no intention of creating a nightlife police force.
But most attention has centered on a stretch of bars in Milan, along the canals in Navigli, a neighborhood favored by young professionals and students. This month, large crowds pushed Milan’s mayor, Giuseppe Sala, to threaten to close down the area. On Tuesday, he banned the sale of takeout alcoholic drinks after 7 p.m.	But most attention has centered on a stretch of bars in Milan, along the canals in Navigli, a neighborhood favored by young professionals and students. This month, large crowds pushed Milan’s mayor, Giuseppe Sala, to threaten to close down the area. On Tuesday, he banned the sale of takeout alcoholic drinks after 7 p.m.
Giorgia Gangi, 22, who was drinking an aperitif on Tuesday with her friends at a bar in the area called Ugo, said that while a minority of young people might have behaved irresponsibly after the lockdown, the great majority respected the rules still in place.	Giorgia Gangi, 22, who was drinking an aperitif on Tuesday with her friends at a bar in the area called Ugo, said that while a minority of young people might have behaved irresponsibly after the lockdown, the great majority respected the rules still in place.
“Now it looks like we are the culprits,” she said. “It’s a mountain out of a molehill.”	“Now it looks like we are the culprits,” she said. “It’s a mountain out of a molehill.”
There are those, however, who acknowledge some irresponsible behavior by young people, but say it has largely been a result of inconsistent messages from officials and of the government’s largely abandoning the younger generation during the emergency, leaving schools and colleges closed while opening bars.	There are those, however, who acknowledge some irresponsible behavior by young people, but say it has largely been a result of inconsistent messages from officials and of the government’s largely abandoning the younger generation during the emergency, leaving schools and colleges closed while opening bars.
Raffaele Alberto Ventura, a writer and the author of “Theory of the Disadvantaged Class,” said that the fact that young people came under scrutiny only when discussing inessential leisure activities such as drinking and socializing highlighted that many were unemployed or unemployable and reliant on their parents’ income.	Raffaele Alberto Ventura, a writer and the author of “Theory of the Disadvantaged Class,” said that the fact that young people came under scrutiny only when discussing inessential leisure activities such as drinking and socializing highlighted that many were unemployed or unemployable and reliant on their parents’ income.
~~“This crisis puts under the spotlight a deeper problem: the existence of a whole age group that is forced to be inessential,” he wrote in an email on Monday.~~
Updated June 22, 2020	Updated June 22, 2020
A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico.	A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico.
The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth.	The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth.
The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave.	The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave.
So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement.	So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement.
Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.	Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.
A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.	A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.
The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April.	The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April.
States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people.	States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people.
Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.	Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.
If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)	If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)
If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.	If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.
If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested.	If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested.
	“This crisis puts under the spotlight a deeper problem: the existence of a whole age group that is forced to be inessential,” he wrote in an email on Monday.
Giulia Renna, 20, who was drinking an aperitif with her boyfriend in the Navigli area on Tuesday, agreed. She said that they had both lost their on-call jobs during the emergency and that she did not understand how, in a country that “does not consider young people,” they were suddenly being blamed.	Giulia Renna, 20, who was drinking an aperitif with her boyfriend in the Navigli area on Tuesday, agreed. She said that they had both lost their on-call jobs during the emergency and that she did not understand how, in a country that “does not consider young people,” they were suddenly being blamed.