Italians stage running race between towns devastated by pandemic

The 180km relay race ran between the towns of Codogno and Vo' in northern Italy

Credit: AP

Italians have staged a running race between two towns that achieved grim notoriety  when the country was first hit by the coronavirus pandemic early this year.

The relay race, in which each runner ran 10km, went from Codogno, where Italy’s first recorded case of the virus was discovered, to Vo’ Euganeo, where the first death from Covid-19 occurred.

The 180km race began on Saturday and ended on Sunday, with the participants including Italy’s ‘patient zero’, Mattia Maestri, a keen runner until he was struck down with the virus and spent weeks in intensive care.

The race was intended as a symbol of regeneration and hope for Italy, even as the number of coronavirus cases increases substantially.

The country is recording around 1,700-1,800 new cases a day, a big increase on the 200-300 which were registered in July.

Italy's 'patient one', Mattia Maestri, prepares to take part in the relay race 

Credit: AP

As the spectre of a second wave looms, several regions have in recent days ordered people to wear masks outdoors, as well as in shops, bars and restaurants.

The latest was Sicily, with its governor, Nello Musumeci, telling islanders that “the greatest prudence” was required as the infection spread once again.

Sicily joins Campania, the region around Naples, and Calabria, in the far south, as regions which now require masks to be worn outdoors as well as indoors.

There was speculation that Lazio, the central region that encompasses Rome, could adopt similar measures, as virus numbers increase there as well.

Campania has decreed that passengers arriving at Naples airport from six countries – Spain, Croatia, Greece, Malta, Colombia and the ‘red zones’ of France – must be subjected to swab tests.

Wearing masks outdoors was not strictly necessary to stem the spread of the virus, said Ranieri Guerra, a member of Italy’s scientific committee on coronavirus.

But mask-wearing outdoors had a “symbolic value”, reinforcing the need for vigilance and caution among the population, he said.

Despite the rise in virus infections, Italy is not yet suffering a second wave and remains proud of the way in which it tackled the pandemic in the spring, flattening the curve of infections.

“The whole world has talked of the Italian model,” said Giuseppe Conte, the prime minister. “It’s a model that has shown itself to be very effective in the management of this huge crisis.”