Austria, Norway and Romania fight the Coronavirus alongside Italy
The Union Civil Protection Mechanism has been activated allowing our country to receive aid from doctors, nurses and medical equipment.
A team of 11 doctors and 3 nurses from Romania arrived on April 7th at Milan Linate Airport to support the Lecco Hospital. Norway sent a team of 4 doctors and 12 nurses to operate in the Bergamo's Seriate hospital from April 8. Austria provided 3360 liters of sanitizer to the Civil Protection Department.
Italy asked for help to fight the Coronavirus emergency to the Union Mechanism of Civil Protection through which the three European countries contributed in terms of human resources and health materials to support the tough and long fight against the Covid-19. Also, this assistance comes alongside the bilateral support provided by many other countries.
«The Union Mechanism is responding to its most difficult and until yesterday unimaginable challenge in an unprecedented crisis that affects all its members. Here, the least affected countries are offering the most important resource at the moment: doctors and nurses», stressed the General Director of Civil Protection, Agostino Miozzo. «Italy certainly will not hesitate to play its role by doing the same as soon as the situation improves», he concluded.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, also commented on the activation of the Mechanism. «These nurses and doctors, who left their homes to help their colleagues in other Member States are the true faces of European solidarity. The whole of Europe is proud of you. The Commission is doing everything it can to help Italy and all our Member States at this time of great need».
Words of appreciation to Romania, Norway and Austria also came from the Commissioner for crisis management, Janez Lenarcic, who thanked the governments of the three countries for their support to Italy in such a difficult time for the whole continent. «This is EU solidarity in action, and our Emergency Response Coordination Centre works 24/7 with all Member States to ensure that aid is directed where it is most needed» said Lenarcic.