Lockdowns and quarantines – frankly, I think this is what is going to have to happen worldwide in order to slow the progress of this thing. It’s “coming soon to an area near you.”
Italy’s nationalized healthcare system means that getting tested for the virus is fairly simple and there are apparently plenty of tests to go around. Because of that – and because the Italian government has been transparent in reporting their data – it appears as though Italy has a much higher concentration of coronavirus than other countries. As of March 2, Italy had tested 23,345 people, the U.S. had tested 472 people. If you test more, you’ll report more cases.
Meanwhile, back in the U.S., things aren’t looking very good. In 2018, the Trump administration fired the U.S. pandemic response team and systematically worked to to remove Bush and Obama-era safeguards against pandemics worldwide. Plus, Trump’s reluctance to report the real statistics and the lack of testing in the U.S. means that it’s likely all over the U.S. – just not being widely diagnosed or reported yet.
We still think that this is the place to be for now – the Cortona mayor puts out twice-daily posts about the virus in the area (it’s here, but not yet widespread – they are really hoping that the lockdowns in the north, school closings, etc, will help slow the spread here) and Giuseppe Conte (Italy’s Prime Minister) has been super-transparent about what’s happening and what they are doing to combat it. Tourism is Italy’s primary economic engine and they are trying to contain it – short term loss for what they hope is long-term gain.