“There were no irresponsible people. It is wrong to judge now who decided in that context»- Corriere.it

“The truth is a right. But holding trials on the public street is unseemly. It’s easy to do analyzes and make judgments in hindsight. In this country, an investigation is opened every time after a striking event. It’s a slippery slope.”

Why?
“Because those with responsibilities end up doing their homework and thinking only of protecting themselves”.

The Northern League president of Veneto
Luca Zaia
in the days ended up at the center of the investigation by the Bergamo prosecutor’s office, he made courageous decisions, not foreseen in the official documents. “I did it instinctively, out of stubbornness, risking – he explains -. But there is no right decision. In those days, we all made more or less spot-on choices».

You insist on contextualization.
«Yes, because decisions and behavior cannot be judged with today’s eyes. Everything must be crystallized in that moment. Even thinking about what happened to me.

What does it refer to?
“In those first days of the spread of the pandemic, the current mood was to reopen, to continue with life as usual because we thought we were dealing with something similar to a flu”.

A mistake made by many, on the left (Zingaretti) as on the right (Salvini).
“For ten days they stoned me for making drastic decisions. But if that had really been a flu, today I would be the idiot who ends up indicted, also accused of tax damages ».

Do we want to remember what measures were taken?
«On 21 February I decided to close the hospital in Schiavonia (500 patients), I had heated tents set up outside all the hospitals in the Veneto region to welcome the positives, I set up the red zone in Vo’ and had all the inhabitants of Vo’ (and we found 80 positives, even asymptomatic). In addition, I ordered the closure of cinemas, theatres, churches, schools and suspended the Carnival of Venice”.

Drastic measures that proved to be farsighted.
“In hindsight, sure. But having made different choices cannot be a fault. I repeat, if this is the principle, no one will take on the responsibility of dealing with emergencies”.

Are the judges wrong?
“I do not claim immunity or impunity. In an emergency phase, decisions are emergency. And I remind you that some of the best scientists in our country risk ending up on trial. Where will we end up? So we lose references, certainties disappear».

But the relatives of the victims ask to know the truth.
“I understand their state of mind. They have a right to know what happened. But any reasoning must start from the contextualization of the facts at the time they occurred. I’ll give you an example…”

Say.
«At the Padua hospital, an average of 950 gowns were used per month. In those weeks, 4,500 a day were consumed. How could this have been predicted? And before that, when did doctors ever wear masks? Do we want to go to trial on this?».

Some mistakes must have been made.
«Look, I don’t know the cards and I don’t allow myself to judge. But if you don’t evaluate the facts with the elements you knew at the time they happened, you risk making a big mistake. And the wrong message can be passed on to public opinion».

Which?
“That this country is in the hands of irresponsible people. But is not so. On the contrary, measures were taken in Italy and then copied by others ».

In the end, what was Covid?
“He had behaviors that are still unexplained today. In Venice, even during the Carnival, he entered and left without consequences. In other realities he has done enormous damage. And we still don’t know why.”

President, the differentiated autonomy project has taken a step forward, but four regions (Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Campania and Puglia) have dissociated themselves.
«I think we must work to involve everyone, but the idea that the South is against it cannot pass, given that the Calderoli bill has been approved by Calabria, Sicily, Basilicata and Molise. Let’s say that the center-left governors opposed it for a political choice, not a merit one. But the majority is overwhelming.”

Will the train slow down?
“I don’t think so, although I repeat that it is important to ensure that everyone participates wholeheartedly in the process”.

At the end of the year, the definitive go-ahead?
“Yes, either by choice or by necessity, but there’s no alternative.”