Italy's former PM Berlusconi tests positive for coronavirus

[webfact]

Italy's former PM Berlusconi tests positive for coronavirus

By Angelo Amante

 

Former Italian Prime Minister and leader of the Forza Italia (Go Italy!) party Silvio Berlusconi attends a rally ahead of a regional election in Emilia-Romagna, in Ravenna, Italy, January 24, 2020. REUTERS/Flavio Lo Scalzo/File Photo

 

ROME (Reuters) - Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi vowed to carry on with political activities ahead of local elections in September after testing positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday.

 

"Unfortunately, this too has happened to me, but I carry on fighting," Berlusconi was quoted by his staff as telling supporters during a video meeting.

 

The 83-year-old media tycoon will remain under isolation in his house in the town of Arcore, north of Milan, his staff said in a statement.

 

He will continue to provide support to candidates from his centre-right Forza Italia party at local elections scheduled for Sept. 20-21.

 

Alberto Zangrillo, Berlusconi's personal physician at Milan's San Raffaele hospital, told AdnKronos news agency the former premier had no symptoms but had decided to test for COVID-19 because of his recent holiday in Sardinia.

 

The Mediterranean island has suffered a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in August as tourists from all over the country descended on its beaches.

 

Flavio Briatore, an old friend of Berlusconi's and the owner of the Billionaire nightclub in Sardinia, also tested positive last month.

 

Italy, hit by one of Europe's worst outbreaks of COVID-19 with over 270,000 confirmed cases and 35,500 deaths, managed to contain the contagion since a peak in fatalities and infections in March and April.

 

However, the country recorded a steady increase in new cases in August, with experts blaming gatherings associated with holidays and nightlife.

 

Politicians across the spectrum sent messages of support to Berlusconi, who was prime minister four times.

 

Luigi Di Maio, foreign minister and former leader of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement who fiercely campaigned against Berlusconi, wished him a swift recovery.

 

"I hope he will fight this battle with the strength that has always distinguished him", Di Maio said in a statement.

 

(Reporting by Angelo Amante; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Giles Elgood)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-09-03

 

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[Pattaya Spotter]

Two hours on...nobody cares ????

 

Are these reports of has-been politicians, entertainers, sports figures, and others contracting the Covid corona virus really news? I mean, were in a worldwide pandemic and people, famous and not, are gonna catch it...doesn't seem very newsworthy to me.

Edited September 3, 2020 by Pattaya Spotter

[kotsak]

Bunga bunga ????

[Pattaya Spotter]

1 hour ago, kotsak said:

Bunga bunga ????

Probably how the ole boy got it.

[Tug]

If only another special someone catches it..........

[oompie69]

6 hours ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

Two hours on...nobody cares ????

 

Are these reports of has-been politicians, entertainers, sports figures, and others contracting the Covid corona virus really news? I mean, were in a worldwide pandemic and people, famous and not, are gonna catch it...doesn't seem very newsworthy to me.

They gotta keep the momentum going!