Rome: Experts believe that the UEFA Champions League match between Atalanta and Valencia at San Siro as one of the reasons why Bergamo became the central spot of the coronavirus in Italy. The match was played two days before the first case of locally transmitted Covid-19 case in Italy.
Speaking during a live Facebook chat with the Foreign Press Association in Rome, Bergamo Mayor Giorgio Gori said: “We were mid-February so we didn’t have the circumstances of what was happening. If it’s true what they’re saying that the virus was already circulating in Europe in January, then it’s very probable that 40,000 Bergamaschi in the stands of San Siro, all together, exchanged the virus between them.
“As is possible that so many Bergamaschi that night got together in houses, bars to watch the match and did the same. Unfortunately, we couldn’t have known. No one knew the virus was already here. It was inevitable.”
The official attendance for the game was 45,792 as almost 2,500 fans of Valencia also travelled to the stadium for the game.
While Italy is one of the worst hit countries due to the coronavirus outbreak, India Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered a 21-day lockdown Tuesday to fight the pandemic.
IANS
