Summer2020Final | Page 5

PAGE 3 the virus: ut United Villamaino ust chatting, Italians her than many other ropologists have culture’s perception aller than in other Bologna with the slogan “Andrà tutto bene” g the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Luca Cassarino y populated country, y of 533 people per ed States has 94. e of California, but people than the s live in urban areas se. Rome has 5,800 e, nearly twice the , D.C. Milan, the financial capital of Italy, is home to a great many offices for multinational corporations. This level of business traffic could also influence how Italy was impacted by the virus. Northern Italy has close trade connections with a number of international business hubs, including those in China. The entire region is a nexus point for business travelers. An infected person not only could infect others, but trigger a fast moving and far traveling group of viral carriers. Those people could rapidly spread out across the entire country and beyond. Italy’s culture, business climate, and demographics have made it dangerously fertile ground for the coronavirus. But the Italian people have proven resilient and adaptive. To ensure that the virus does not have the same opportunities to spread as it did, Italy’s "Technical-Scientific Committee” called for a force of 60,000 “civic assistants.” This group will be paid to patrol public areas and to enforce social distancing guidelines. It is said that a provisional national motto is now “Distanti ma uniti.” Distant, but united.