Penn Hills native describes situation in Italy as 'tragic, depressing and emotional'

Italy is in complete lockdown with residents confined to their towns and prohibited from venturing farther than 200 meters (about 650 feet) from their homes, according to a Penn Hills native who has lived in the country for more than 10 years.

James Zanella, who lives in the northern Italian town of Rovereto in Trentino province, described the situation as “tragic, depressing and emotional.” Coronavirus events in the United States have closely followed those in Italy. Zanella, a Penn Hills High School graduate, has provided the Tribune-Review with updates.

Zanella, a history teacher, said hundreds of people are dying daily and intensive care units are full and under stress because of the soaring numbers of infected people.

“Trentino has now 1,500 cases and over 30 deaths,” he said. “In fact, a 47-year-old Franciscan friar succumbed to the virus. We are now in complete lockdown. We cannot leave our town of residence. The police have been fining teenagers, families and the elderly. We are not allowed to move 200 meters from our homes.”

Covid-19 has infected nearly 64,000 Italians and killed 6,077 as of Monday afternoon, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

Zanella has been teaching history classes from home through video calls, but said they are not as effective as the classroom.

“We are slowly adjusting to e-learning, but sadly many teachers are not computer literate,” he said. “My advice is to self-isolate and wear a mask.”