Why De Micheli and Ricciardi collide on anti Covid public transport
Remote clash on the safety of public transport between the minister and Micheli and Ricciardi, consultant to the Minister of Health. Facts, words and controversies (internal to the government)
No more than six people for dinner, but yes to 4 or 5 people in one square meter on the bus.
The Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Paola De Micheli, speaks only of "perception" of "insecurity" referring to the capacity of local public transport. This vision, however, does not convince Walter Ricciardi (Italian member of the WHO board and consultant to the Minister of Health, Roberto Speranza). The transport issue also worries the mayors of Italy.
Let's go step by step.
THE WORDS OF DE MICHELI
Let's start with the words of Minister De Micheli. “The risk of contagion in the local public transport system is very low. Public transport even in peak periods generally does not exceed the capacity between 70-75% ", said the owner of the Infrastructures and Transport, Paola De Micheli, speaking at half an hour more on Rai Tre , Lucia's Sunday program Annunziata.
PERCEPTION OF INSECURITY
"But visually and rightly in terms of the perception of one's personal safety, on urban vehicles that are buses, subways that do not have many seats but stand a lot, it is of insecurity", added De Micheli.
SOLUTIONS IN PROGRESS
Although the minister reassures citizens about the safety of public transport, she guarantees that the government is working for a "more flexible system for high school hours and a further boost to flexible working hours and the implementation of smart working ".
“These three measures will ease local public transport. We will also increase controls to avoid problems between people going down and people going up, ”he added.
CHOICE THAT GUARANTEED RIGHT TO HEALTH AND RIGHT TO MOBILITY
In defense of the choice, De Micheli said that the 80% capacity of transport was "the choice that in scientific and organizational terms guaranteed the most rational balance between the right to health and mobility".
"Now it is completely clear that Regions and local authorities have all the powers to apply more restrictive guidelines than those made by the Government, but it is completely clear that within that agreement the Government had to give those things, in particular resources and legal regulations ”, The minister said today, speaking on video link to the initiative to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Filt CGIL.
THE CONCERN OF RICCIARDI
De Micheli's words, however, perplex Walter Ricciardi, an Italian member of the board of the World Health Organization (WHO) and consultant to the Minister of Health, Roberto Speranza.
“Are you sure?” Ricciardi asked himself at Agorà on Rai Tre, a program hosted by Serena Bortone: “If Minister De Micheli talks about high speed, she is right, if she refers to local public transport, no”, added Ricciardi.
CAPACITY AT 50%
"We have always said that on buses and metro the capacity should not go beyond 50%, and instead then we waived the 80: but on board it is one of the moments in which you are more in contact and also the use of the mask protects others but not themselves. It is a typical moment of contagion ”, added the WHO consultant.
TARGETED INTERVENTIONS
And always Ricciardi, in Agorà , calls not only for a new transport policy but urgent and targeted measures to stop the infections in the various Italian cities.
"The measures taken are good for the country in general, but there are areas where the contagion curve is exponential and proportional, targeted, surgical interventions would be needed", explains Ricciardi.
“For example, I would not speak of Lombardy, but of Milan – he continues – not of Campania but of Naples. And I would begin to worry about Rome “.
THE WORDS OF DECARO
Antonio De Caro, mayor of Bari and President of Anci , also spoke on the transport issue, in contrast to what the government decided and did .
"Also in terms of transport, we mayors found ourselves in a situation similar to that of the curfew: we asked to reduce the load capacity of the vehicles by increasing the offer and to stagger the entrance hours of high schools but they told us that neither one thing nor the other could be done and that we mayors had to make a coordination table with the school leaders and convince them to stagger the hours ”, Antonio Decaro, the mayor of Bari and president of Anci, told Radio Capital .
MAYORS: DECONGEST TRANSPORT
“We were asking to decongest, because it is true that the Scientific Technical Committee says that we can have a load capacity of up to 80% but this means having almost 5 people per square meter. It is clear that even psychologically, if we tell citizens no more than six people at home, a distance of one meter, parties cannot be held, maximum thirty people if they are unrepeatable parties, and then they all find themselves crushed in the bus, even if there is an obligation to wear a mask, someone wonders is something happening ”.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/smartcity/perche-de-micheli-e-ricciardi-si-tamponano-sul-trasporto-pubblico-anti-covid/ on Wed, 21 Oct 2020 14:14:16 +0000.