Italy is telling citizens to do what was once unthinkable for many in the devoutly Catholic country: Skip Mass on Easter Sunday.
On Saturday, the special commissioner for virus emergency, Domenico Arcuri, warned residents to avoid gatherings over the holiday weekend so progress isn’t lost on foiling COVID-19.
“Don’t do silly things,” he said. “Don’t go out, continue to behave responsibly as you have done until today, use your head and your sense of responsibility.”
Arcuri also pointed out that Italy has made inroads in the fight against the infection.
The “virus has not been defeated, but we are on the right path,” he said. “We see the indicators, but not the end of the tunnel. In fact, the end of the tunnel is still far away.”
Italy, Arcuri said, will set up mandatory blood tests to identify people who have developed antibodies as part of an “immunity passport” system.
A mobile app will notify users if they have been in contact with infected people and need to be tested.
With Post wires
