Sunday, March 29, 2020

Lockdown cracks begin to show

Well into its third week of the lockdown, desperate people in Italy are begging for help because they have run out of money and food.

A video has been shared around the country showing a father with his young daughter addressing the Italian prime minister, saying: "It's already 15-20 days that we've been inside and we're at our limit. "He gestures to his little girl who is eating a piece of bread and says: "Like my daughter, other children in a few days won't be able to eat this bit of bread. Rest assured, you will regret this because we're going to have a revolution."
Police descended on supermarkets in Palermo in Sicily after reports people have started stealing to feed themselves. 
The mayor of Palermo warns a social emergency is next. 
Leoluca Orlando said, "The more time passes, the more resources are exhausted. The few savings people have are running out. This tells us socio-economic issues will erupt."
The further south you go, the higher the level of deprivation and the higher the unemployment. While the virus hasn't reached the same crisis levels in southern Italy, hunger and hardship threaten to be even bigger problems. Lockdown is the only solution to save lives. But in southern Italy, for many, it feels like it's threatening their very survival.
Closer to home, around a thousand workers at the food processing plant at Moy Park in Portadown went out on a wildcat strike over coronavirus safety concerns, including adequate social distancing. This was followed by a strike of 80 workers at the ABP food processing plant in Lurgan, Co. Armagh, expressing the same concerns. 40 workers at the Linden Foods processing factory in Dungannon in Co. Tyrone followed the examples of Moy Park and Lurgan and refused to start their shifts. There were grave concerns over workers exhibiting symptoms being allowed to work, as well as those with family members self-isolating because of being in high risk categories, and inadequate washing facilities.

No comments: