The epidemic of gastroenteritis da norovirusnestled in theaqueduct of Torri del Benacowould have been “inflated by unfounded numbers”, from “bad communication”, from “delays in the mayor’s ordinances” and, above all, from the press, or rather “from certain press”, which has spread “irresponsible news, creating a false alarm». These are the conclusions expressed by the institutional representatives who spoke at the summit announced yesterday afternoon in Torri by Mayor Stefano Nicotrawith a direct invitation to representatives of the police force, to the mayors of the Venetian coast of Garda, to category representatives (Federalberghi, Confcommercio, Consorzio di promozione turistica) and others.
Aqueduct problem solved
In Torri, in short, intestinal viruses are no longer present and the waters of Lake Garda are “clear”Therefore the order prohibiting bathing has been revoked as of this morning that Mayor Nicotra had issued on Saturday evening as a precaution, pending the outcome of the analyses carried out on the water samples taken by Arpav both from the lake and from the municipal water network. The Torri aqueduct, in fact, is supplied entirely by the waters of Lake Gardaat a depth of 60 meters: it is the only entry point to the pipes and, therefore, if the virus has reached the pipes, the question remains where it entered from. Now, in any case, everything seems to be resolved: the analyses are negative in all the samples taken, thanks to the super injection of chlorine that Ags released into the water network on Friday morning. But since certification is still missing of the tests carried out by the Zooprophylactic Institute of Brescia,‘Order banning the use of water from the water supply remains in force, probably for another day or two.
Priority: saving tourism
What essentially emerged from the meeting, in the end, was the priority to safeguard the image of Gardaso as not to damage the local economy in the height of the tourist season: therefore, there are no critical issues regarding water pollution and now everything is “back within the parameters of the law”. And also on the reason why the demonstrations in Torri were not cancelled during the weekend, when there were still many people with gastrointestinal disorders transmittable by contact, the mayor went straight to the point: «The important thing is the tourist life of the country and the promotion of the territory, we had to convey positivity because there was a risk of serious economic damage. The virus is direct, carried by water, and is certainly not transmissible because people are eating, drinking or dancing together”. Shortly after, the health director of the Usl Scaligera, Denise Signorelli, reiterated that the virus is transmitted “through the fecal-oral route and therefore through contact between peoplewho may be caring for their sick family members, or using shared toilets.”
(Presumed) delay in measures and controversies
For the entire duration of the meetingin any case, they are sparks fly. At the head of the table is Mayor Stefano Nicotrawho took stock of the evolution of the viral epidemic of gastroenteritis that has affected “many hundreds of citizens”. Sitting next to him were the director and president of Ags, the Azienda gardesana servizi, Carlo Voi and Angelo Cresco, the managers of Usl 9 Scaligera, the director general Patrizia Benini, the health director Denise Signorelli and the director of Siam (Food hygiene and nutrition service), Elisa Finco. AOutside, the protests of the minority group of councilors in the city council in Torri, who even called the police to report that they had been prevented from entering and listen to the report on the whole affair. The mayor, in fact, had been attacked by some citizens on social media and also by the minority itself, for having issued the ordinance banning the use of drinking water only two days after the first signs of illness among the citizens, which he himself dismissed as “an impressive coming and going of ambulances, when in the end it was just a simple case of gastritis”. A resident, on the sidelines of the meeting – which at first had also been banned to journalists, even though they were invited via messages but initially thrown out in the pouring rain -, assured that this morning she will go to the town hall, to claim damages for the emergency room expenses that she had to shoulder yesterday morning for the care provided to her son.
