Rome: The heartbreaking note of a Malayalee nun, describing the tragic situation in Italy, which is the most affected by coronavirus after China. C. Croix, a member of the Congregation for Daughters of St. Joseph (DSJ), currently serving in Italy. Sonia Therese shared the note describing the plight of the country.
Full text of Sister’s note
Here I am sharing with you a painful message sent to me by an Italian woman doctor who is a friend of mine who works in a hospital in Beershah, Italy.
“Dear Sonia … I am so sad. What will I do? The 4 doctors and 3 nurses who were with me on duty caught the coronavirus. I am now quarantining my basement. Take both children.
The young woman who was coming to work to look after the children called me and said that she could not come because of fear. It was a terrible thing for her as a child. On the one hand, my elderly mother is dying, and I can’t even go to her. Who am I to tell you my pain? On TV and on social media, we all admire doctors, nurses, heroes and angels … but when we are in danger, there is no one to look after us when we are in the service of the sick.
I phoned right away. On the other hand was the weeping cry. Even in the distance, my eyes were flooded. I searched for words, not knowing what to say. Doctors and nurses who work night and day often forget about their children and their families. These days, more than 4,000 doctors and nurses are caught between patient care. Two famous docs, two municipal presidents, ten clergymen, several nuns and a coroner have died. Many people from all walks of life, including bishops, clergy, saints, ministers, politicians and musicians, suffer from coronary illnesses in hospitals and homes.
Why are there so many deaths in Italy? This is a question that a lot of people ask me these days.
The answer to this question is: one is carelessness and two are ignorance. In the light of experience, let’s make a point about where Italy went wrong. The experience of Italy today should not happen to any other country.
On December 31, the World Health Organization announced the death of many people in Wuhan due to China’s coronavirus. For the first time in Italy on January 31, Corona confirmed to 2 Chinese tourists. The government immediately intervened and shifted them to a special hospital and arranged for them to be treated. Drawing on the routes they traveled and the roadmap of those associated with them, they found them all in solitary confinement. What happened in Italy is the same thing that happened in our little state (shown to the Italian expatriates). Chinese people on the road, taunting, mocking, dropping carts, social media, trolls, mocking and more ..!
The virus was so new that it was initially controlled at airports only to detect the symptoms of fever. Since most places in North Italy are popular tourist destinations and pilgrimages, a large number of tourists flock to airports such as Milan. Direct flights from Milan to Wuhan, China, were the easiest way to get the virus out. China delayed releasing information that coronavirus was spreading in Wuhan, as they arrived almost everywhere.
Corona confirmed to a 38-year-old Italian citizen on February twenty-one. What is remarkable is that he never went to China. While drawing the route map and tapping the people who came in contact with him, the number of people who had taken Corona from all over North Italy was growing. In some parts of northern Italy, where the number of patients is increasing, the government has declared the Red Zone a Red Zone and declared a state of emergency there.
The people of the land could not go out or enter from the outside. When the government ordered the people living in cities and other lands not to be released and skipped public programs, the young people responded: “It only affects the elderly. We will stay home when someone dies.” They do not miss their daily visits to bars, restaurants and dance clubs. In fact, they were unwilling to deviate from their habits.
The “easy attitude” of the people prompted the government to take drastic measures. At a press conference held by Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on March 9, Italy declared a state of emergency. The goal was to prevent the corona’s further spread from northern Italy to the south and central Italy. All public tours and travels across the country were banned until April 3. Schools, colleges, restaurants, bars and other industries were all closed. Only pharmacies and supermarkets were allowed to open. No one is allowed to get out of their homes except for the unavoidable chores, therapeutic matters, and the necessities of life.
No one can travel from one town to another or from one village to another. If for some reason, the police or the army, who are not in control of the cause, do not show the certificate of the authorities, and you will be found guilty of the violation, imprisonment for three months and fined 0 260. In spite of all these stringent laws, 45,000 people violated the law within 10 days. How painful it is that hundreds of people die every day and many do not take the situation seriously.
Italy is a prosperous country, so many people ask if Italy is not getting good treatment. Today’s Italy is not the same as it was fifteen years ago. On the one hand, an unstable government. On the other hand, the country is going through a severe recession. The rulers of Italy are doing all they can. Twenty thousand new people were taken to the health care field. A number of benefits were announced for the families. As in our country, there are no hospitals in the nooks and corners of the country.
When hospitals in northern Italy were scarce, temporary hospitals were built, such as soldiers’ camps, in the parking area of the town. In many cases, no patient is admitted to hospitals. Only those who survived are now being taken to hospitals. Authorities recommend that others stay home.
After a frightening silence, the tsunami struck, and in 20 days the corona spread throughout most of Italy. The main reason for this is the indifference and lack of attention of the people. On February 21, 2020, the Corona had one in Italy. But today, just a month before the 19th of March, Corona confirmed to more than 35,000 people here. Just over one and a half million people were tested, and 35,000 had corona. More than 3000 people died. There are millions of people to test yet. The number of dead, sick and sick is higher than what the government has released.
Hundreds of people die each day in Bergamo and Beershah towns. Every home is either sick or dead. In some houses, two or three people are dead and tired of the pain of death. Since there is no place to bury, the long line of military trucks that the bodies carry in other places to organize (cremation) will make anyone cry. A few weeks ago, young people who were living lightly said that coronavirus was a disease that only affects the elderly.
This is not the time to sit around blaming anyone. The bishops, clergy and nuns owe their importance to the welfare of the nation and the safety of the faithful. In Christ’s day, lepers were kept out of society. Christ was concerned to obey and respect the law of society. He performed miracles for them only when a certain leper sought Christ with conviction.
It is only through each of us that we try to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Implement government-issued rules in their lives. Skip the group programs and get to the safety of their homes. Once as I was traveling from Ernakulam to Kottayam, I noticed a board placed on the roadside. It was written: “When death is attentive, death is born”. No one should lose their lives due to our carelessness. Let us strive to be the keepers of our lives, especially our loved ones.
Don’t worry if the temples, pilgrimage centers or meditation centers are all closed. Is the Almighty God the only person who can fill a shrine or a place of pilgrimage? V. Christ’s presence is present in the Word of God, as in the Qur’an. Even though the doors of temples and pilgrims are closed, no one in the world can close the doors of a believer’s heart. Like the early Christians, we could turn the inside of our homes into churches by reading God’s Word and by beating. Even a heartbreaking sigh is a great prayer before God. For many brothers who are terrified of illness and death. Translated version from Pravachakashabdam
