We call for alternative measures to home isolation for all. The appeal of 150 academics to the government

A group of 150 academics from across Italy today appealed to the government with eight demands to move to phase 2 of the management of thehealth emergency due to the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. The demands aim to move beyond the phase of restrictive measures for all toward more targeted measures that allow for a more sustainable management of the emergency, based on representative sampling, tracking, massive surveys, and even suspension of the right to privacy in order to adopt the tracking measures. Below is the text of the appeal, signed by, among others, Giuseppe Bertagna (professor of Pedagogy at the University of Bergamo), Nicola Casagli (President of the National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics), Emanuela Colombo (professor of Industrial Technical Physics at the Politecnico di Milano), Paolo Gasparini (professor of Medical Genetics at the University of Trieste), Vincenzo Giuffrè (full professor of Institutions of Public Law at the University of Catania) Francesco Manfredi (pro-rector of the Jean Monnet University of Bari), Giuseppe Valditara (former head of the Higher Education and Research Department of the Miur), and Antonio Vicino (President of the National University Council).

"The undersigned, aware that individual freedoms, work, health, including psychological health, of the population, savings, and free private initiative are primary, constitutionally protected goods, ask the government:
1. that a representative sampling of the population be carried out as a matter of urgency to understand the true extent of the infection and the lethality of the virus.
2. The progressive adoption of alternative measures to generalized home isolation, within a clear strategy to contain the spread of the virus. In particular, the use of timely tracking of contagion.
3. The early identification of positives with mass molecular and serological investigations.
4. The initiation of large-scale production of the material needed for molecular and serological investigations.
5. The requirement for all people who have contact with the public to wear filtering and protective masks.
6. The suspension-in accordance with and in compliance with Articles 9(2) and 23 of the GDPR and Recital No. 73 of the GDPR-until the end of the emergency, by special decree-law, of the right to privacy and the restriction on the use of electronic data for the exclusive purpose of the adoption of measures necessary for tracking, possible geolocation, epidemiological surveys, and research. Contextual provision for the destruction of data thus collected at the end of the emergency set by law.
7. The specification of definite time frames from which constitutional rights to freedom of movement, assembly, and free private initiative will be reestablished, guaranteeing conditions of security for workers and citizens.
8. The sharing and publicizing of the government’s plan for the containment of the epidemic and the management of phase 2 in such a way as to make it open to discussion with the entire national scientific community."

Image: Palazzo Chigi. Ph. Credit

We call for alternative measures to home isolation for all. The appeal of 150 academics to the government

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