Coronavirus-hit Italian village is locked down by army and turned into ‘human laboratory’ with EVERYONE quarantined – The Sun

The hilltop village of Nerola, just outside Rome, with a population of 1,900 people has been declared a red zone, after 77 coronavirus cases were found.

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The army has sealed off the entire village from the rest of the country with medical researchers now testing all the villagers in the hope more can be discovered about the deadly virus.

Residents are not even allowed to leave their homes for food or medicines, with everything being delivered.

The village has effectively been taken “off the map” with road signs even being taken down.

The mayor Sabrina Granieri told the BBC: “We are very confused. People call me on the phone and say ‘are we sick?’ and I say ‘no, there’s no problem. It’s okay. Just for your safety, we have to do this, it’s our sacrifice’.”

Villager Marco said: “People are scared because many people are old.”

The outbreak started in a care home and spread quickly without doctors realising.

Two people died and the rest were taken to hospital.

The doctor, who had been working at the care home since 1994, said the patients at first didn’t appear to have the coronavirus but the situation suddenly worsened last Sunday.

She said she was very worried about those who had contracted the virus as they were very old, with one even being 104.

A local health official explained why such drastic measures were needed.

He said: “The number of patients who got infected was very high in relation to the population.

“We couldn’t risk a further spread of the virus.”

Now the village has become a human laboratory with everyone living there being tested with the mayor backing the extreme measures.

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Granieri said: “I want all the people in my little country to do the test.

“Our sacrifice will be used by the entire scientific community.”

The researchers want to learn how the virus spreads throughout a community and how many display symptoms.

They’ll then use the people to trail any possible treatments.

The mayor added: “We’re here, we exist, we are alive and we want to stay alive.

Italy – the hardest hit country in Europe – yesterday reported its lowest daily Covid-19 death toll since March 19, at 525.

Currently there have been 128,948 reported cases in the country with 15,887 people dying.

Silvio Brusaferro, head of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Italy’s top health institute, said: “The curve has reached a plateau and begun to descend.

“It is a result that we have to achieve day after day.

“If this is confirmed, we need to start thinking about the second phase and keep down the spread of this disease.”

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