Italian doctor in Bergamo urges Turkish citizens to ask their gov't for curfew against coronavirus

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An Italian doctor working at a hospital in Bergamo urged Turkish people to ask the government for the declaration of a curfew in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Prof. Luca Lorini from Bergamo's Pope John XXIII Hospital said that staying at home means saving thousands of lives.

"Each day you stay at home, you save dozens, hundreds, thousands of lives," Lorini told Deutsche Welle's Turkish service, adding that a curfew is the best medicine against coronavirus.

"Ask the government to declare a curfew immediately without waiting. Just like we did 15 days ago. The numbers have been decreasing for two days. This is the best medicine against the virus," he also said.

Bergamo in northern Italy is one of the areas with the highest number of coronavirus cases in the country. The city has a population of 130,000 and the death toll stands at 1,176 as of March 25. The total number of cases is close to 6,500.

"Dear Turkish people, I can convince you [to stay home] by showing you some pictures with plenty of coffins that we carry to cemeteries everyday. Crematoriums' capacities can't cope with it," Lorini said.

When asked about what his advice would be to the healthcare professionals in Turkey, Lorini said that "they should prepare for major numbers."

"What I would like to say first is that if the government fails to take appropriate steps, doctors would have to try to empty a sea with a spoon. Everything should be brought to a halt and it should be made sure that people don't meet each other," he said.

"The second thing is that they should prepare themselves against major numbers. They should examine organizational models. Otherwise, this will crush doctors and hospitals. We wrote about these in significant magazines. What we did right or wrong can be learned from those articles," Lorini added.