‘It’s Like a War’

Italy has become the epicenter of the pandemic’s European migration, with nearly 30,000 infections and more than 2,000 deaths in just a few weeks. These numbers are soaring by the day, even after the government took extreme measures to lock down much of the country. Now, the U.S. surgeon general is warning that America is on a strikingly similar path. Today, we speak to one Italian doctor triaging patients north of Milan about the road that may lie ahead. Guest: Dr. Fabiano Di Marco, a professor at the University of Milan who is also the head of the respiratory unit of the Hospital Papa Giovanni XXIII in Bergamo, a nearby town. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.

Background reading:

In less than three weeks, the virus has overloaded hospitals in northern Italy, leaving doctors to decide who lives and who dies. Now, with the country on lockdown, families are having to delay the burial of their loved ones.President Trump released suggested guidelines to control the virus, stopping short of the mandatory lockdown now in place in Italy. Here are the latest updates on the crisis.We hope you are well, wherever you are. Here are a few tips on staying safe and coping in this moment.