Cecilia Del Re Municipality of Florence Councilwoman Exclusive Interview by Professor Costanza Menchi
Cecilia Del Re Municipality of Florence Councilwoman for Urban Planning, Environment, Urban Agriculture, Tourism, Fairs and Congresses, Technological Innovation, and Information Systems Exclusive Interview By Professor Costanza Menchi Questions & Answers CM: How the Municipality of Florence has been facing the COVID-19 emergency? CDR: Right from the beginning Florence took a hard hit from the lockdown decreed by the prime minister on March 9th making all of Italy a red zone. Generally, from the beginning of the crisis the mission of the municipal government has been to put into action urgent measures in order to help our citizens and those sectors of the local economy experiencing the most difficulty. First and foremost, our principle duty was to safeguard the health of our residents and healthcare workers to whom we owe an enormous debt of gratitude for their work on the frontlines saving human lives. With great internal organization and collaboration, in only a short period of time our hospitals and healthcare infrastructure adapted to meet the Covid19 emergency, and this permitted us to contain as much as possible the number of infections in the city.
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CM: Which are the most significant initiatives the city council have put in place in order to stay close to the citizens, and especially those who are more fragile, such as elderly, people with disabilities, homeless? CDR: Since the onset of the crisis, the City of Florence has enacted many initiates in support of all our citizens, especially for those who find themselves in fragile circumstances. In particular, we instituted the following: - Volunteer groups for the home delivery of groceries and prescription medicine - Trash removal assistance for those physically unable to leave their residences - Activation of a city hotline for residents with disabilities - Activation of a psychological and mental health hotline via the professional organization of Tuscan psychologists
