Italy on Saturday began recruiting retired doctors as part of urgent efforts to bolster the healthcare system with 20,000 additional staff and fight the escalating viral epidemic.
The measure was one of several adopted by the government during an all-night cabinet meeting.
These include a sort of carte blanche to the Civil Protection which, until July 31 or at the end of the emergency, coronavirus will be able to requisition health and medical-surgical devices, as well as movable property of any kind, from any public or private entity. It will also be possible to requisition real estate properties (not only hotels but also hospitals) suitable for hosting quarantined people.
A 20,000 hiring plan is also planned for doctors, nurses and practitioners.
Meanwhile ANSA said that Moody’s credit rating agency said that the Italian economy is “probably in recession”. Moody’s added that GDP will fall 0.5% this year instead of rising by that amount according to its previous estimate. In a worst-case scenario, with a longer coronavirus impact, GDP may fall by 0.7% this year, the rating agency said.
