Bergamo
Italian priest recalls coronavirus ‘nightmare’ of coffin-filled church
On the wall of St. Joseph’s Church hangs a black-and-white photograph with a caption remembering when the Italian parish of Seriate gave 270 people emergency “hospitality” last year – coffins of the dead from COVID-19, sometimes up to 40 at a time. The hosts were Father Mario Carminati, 65, and Marcello Crotti, 46, who opened up the church to give the deceased a dignified temporary place of rest so they would not have to wait in a warehouse for burial or cremation. “For me it was a nightmare, but I didn’t have the opportunity to think about it a lot because when you find yourself in the middle of an emergency you have to rush and act according to your instinct,” Carminati, the senior priest in Seriate, said. A year ago, the COVID-19 pandemic in northern Italy was spiralling and the provinc...
Victor Osimhen likens his unconscious 30 minutes to a brain reset
Super Eagles and Napoli forward Victor Osimhen has said his 30 minutes of unconsciousness Sunday, ‘felt like a brain reset’ Osimhen was discharged to return to Naples on Monday after spending the night under observation at a hospital in Bergamo following an alarming collapse towards the end of the club’s 4-2 Serie A defeat by Atalanta on Sunday. Osimhen was knocked unconscious in a scary incident during the final minutes of the game after a challenge with Cristian Romero; he was stretchered off the pitch and taken directly to hospital. A close adviser to the player told ESPN that a disoriented Osimhen was shocked when he saw the video of the incident. “He could not believe it when they showed him the video from the incident,” the adviser said. “He said it felt like a brain reset.” Multiple...
Italy begins delivering new socially distancing desks to schools
Italy on Friday began the delivery of new school desks adapted for COVID-19 safety regulations, part of a large-scale effort to re-open classrooms after a six-month shutdown. A government commissioner ordered more than 2.4 million desks, and the first 799 were delivered to schools in Bergamo province, which was worst hit by the pandemic. Schools are being equipped with one-seat desks to facilitate social-distancing. Students are supposed to sit at least 1m apart; if not, they will have to wear face masks. he new desks are smaller than previously used one-seat models, and in some schools with older equipment, are due to replace two-person desks. Schools are scheduled to re-open on Sept. 14, but the government is struggling to put everything in place. The delivery of the new desks is for ins...
