Fear Coronavirus in the Vatican: buffer for Pope Francis, tight controls for Ratzinger
The pontiff has a persistent cough and was forced to give up the Lenten spiritual exercises in Ariccia, but it is excluded that he has a serious illness. More in-depth checks also on the pope emeritus, who however comes out less and less and is therefore less prone to possible contagion. The Vatican has entrusted itself to the Italian Ministry of Health.
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The fear of the Coronavirus has also reached the Vatican: Pope Francis (83 years old) and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI (92), from what is learned from confidential sources beyond the Tiber, a more rigid health protocol would have been applied to prevent them from falling ill of the new form of flu that is taking lives all over the world. Simple precautions of course: the two Popes are in “normal” health conditions for two men of their age, also considering the ailments of the season.
Francesco, in particular, has been a victim of persistent cough for days: for him only a trivial influence probably, but it seems that the pontiff was still subjected to the swab for Coronavirus, which was negative. On this the Sente Sede neither confirms nor denies, as often happens for such delicate issues. The problem with Francesco is that he sees a lot of people every day and therefore he is more prone to ailments. Benedict XVI, on the other hand, the older he gets, the less he leaves the “Mater Ecclesiae” monastery, where he lives, and the fewer people he meets, so he is less subject to contact with others and is more closely monitored by the medical staff who has been assigned. For neither of them, in any case, there are reasons for concern even if Francis had, despite him, to renounce going together with the cardinals of the Roman Curia to Ariccia for the annual retreats organized on the occasion of Lent.
Covid in Lombardy, today 3,262 new cases and 12 deaths, 508 infections in Milan: bulletin of 18 July
In recent days, the precautionary measures for the faithful who visit the Vatican have been strengthened and for employees of the smallest country in the world. A doctor and a nurse are always available in the medical dispensary ready to implement Coronavirus verification protocols, while disinfectant dispensers have been installed in the offices. All the procedures have been agreed with the Italian Ministry of Health and with the Lazio Region, which should be immediately reported cases of infection found in the Vatican City.
The hygiene recommendations of the Italian government have also been disseminated among those who work beyond the Tiber. The Vatican has also proceeded to cancel or postpone some events that would have foreseen an excessive gathering of people, but at the moment the cancellation of the Lenten liturgies is out of the question, unlike what has already happened in many parts of Italy, especially in the so-called “area red “, ie in the regions of Northern Italy where outbreaks of the virus have been identified.
