Rassegna Stampa

Through the window of the car in front, there’s a short, sharp cry from the toddler – eased with a quick lollipop or a colourful picture: a distraction aid once the swab is finished. And then the next in a long line of vehicles pulls up as Rome’s “Baby drive-in” continues apace.

The test serves children from newborn to the age of six. A result comes within 30 minutes. If it’s negative, they can return to day-care or school, even if there’s a positive case in their class.
Baby drive-in

It’s the latest innovative initiative by the country that was the first in Europe to be overwhelmed by coronavirus but which is for now managing to keep the virus in check more successfully than many others.

Why is Italy bucking the trend?

Italy’s cumulative number of Covid cases over the past two weeks is currently just over 37 per 100,000 people, among the lowest rates in Europe. The UK is at over 100, France exceeds 230 and Spain has around 330.

“February and March were very hard,” says Elisabetta Cortis, one of the paediatricians who founded the drive-through project. “And then we suffered a lot because with the lockdown, we had many problems for the kids. They stayed alone – no friends, no school, no sport, nothing.”