Can you just describe for us the situation that Italy now finds itself in?

Well, it's a difficult time for my country and for detail people.

We are asking a lot of them at the moment.

The decision that was made yesterday But the Italian government, of course, was not an easy one, but it was necessary.

It was necessary because people need to know that they all have to contribute the old evidence of their parts.

In these, this is a battle that we can win on Lee free.

All act together is even possible to quarantine effectively an entire country.

The prime minister says people should stay at home.

Will they obey that?

What quarantine probably is not exactly two way describe it.

Ah, I think people are asked to stay home and to limit their movements toe on Lee.

What is really essential And there's also to some specific circumstances that's the only way at this moment that you can you can have in order to contain the contagion.

Will people actually obey that?

I think there will.

Of course, you know you come you come be sure that, you know, under percent of the people will do that.

But I think that people are now where, as I say or what what is necessary and what they have to do.

Isn't it now inevitable that the vast majority off people in the country will get this?

No, I wouldn't say the vast majority of people get the disease.

We will see.

We will see the number in the next few few, few few days, a few weeks after all, if we if we follow the pattern in China because there is a pick and then the numbers will degrees.

But what is important, as I said before, is that the government thus does its part.

And I think the town government has acted swiftly and in full transparency.

And the people, you know, they follow the advice given by the government.

It has been a lot of criticism of the way the Italian government acted that it could have acted sooner and with more clarity.

What do you say to that?

Well, I don't think festival that the government acted too late.

I mean, we declared a state of emergency already at the end of January when it wasn't still no case in Italy.

I mean, we stopped flights to and from certain areas off China.

Then as soon as they were the first cases in to specific location in Italy, then we created this sort of clustered isolate the class.

Then that area was widened.

And then the decision that was made yesterday, so to say that determine government did not react swiftly as I think it is, is right.

And the other decision, as I was saying before the other that way that Italian government approached decision was through full transparency, which is actually a guarantee not only for the Italian people there in citizens that, you know, they're always full informed, but also for our international partners that we're doing our part because this is a battle is a challenge that we cannot win alone.

I mean, this will will require International Inc more and more.

There was some within the government here who are briefing that Italy is not following the science and that there's a problem here of a fragile coalition government of fragmented country.

How concerned are you that Italy becomes a sort of a poster child for how not the handle a medical emergency.

I don't know how people can see that.

If you think that the first strain of virus was isolated in Italy by the institute Gospel and Sonny and then an other institutes in the sock hospital in Milan isolated the sort of detail invasion off dubbed the virus.

So actually, we are very much advanced.

From this point of view.

What's your response than two criticisms within this country and within your own country?

My responses that we only need to work together and to and to cooperate.

So if there are, of course, coming from these country us from any other country ruled, you know, some some some proposal with some ideas for some, of course, better ways.

Let's say off also of isolating viruses, all proposing some sort off, off way to face the challenge.

Of course, we open toe corporation, but that's I think, the only the best way to to to be up to this challenge.

The figures are astonishing on dhe, upsetting many hundreds of Italians have died.

Terrible scenes from the hospital's riots in the jails.

What are your feelings for your fellow countryman?

Well, of course you know I feel for my country and for my, for the Italian, for the Italians.

My what we are trying to do here, the embassy is to also do our part.

Our part means to be close to the Italian people leaving in in the UK or from those Italians who are planning or way planning to come to the to the UK.

So I think that's the best way to show that we're close to people to do our duty at our best.

What message you getting from Italians living here, who are concerned about their friends and family out of your country?

What had to say dispensable?

A lot of interest from the Italians wanted to come to the UK, so, of course they want to know if they can come.

If there is is the problems or what kind of off problems?

As for the Italians living in the UK, it's a large number.

Is a large community of your estimate about 700 thousands Italians?

What we tell them is to follow the advice by the British authorities.

We cooperate with the with the British authorities.

It is clear, I think it is anyone.

It's not clear, we explain to them.

But there's one thing I also would like to say it ever been.

Some We have been informed that police that there had been some sort of episode off what I would describe us discrimination against against the Italians.

And of course, we do not accept that I mean way, understand?

And we share, you know, with the British government officials.

There it is.

All decisions have been made and there have been very clear and also never been fully what first was decided by the government and then somehow applied to this country for those coming coming to the to the UK What do you mean by discrimination?

Discrimination that, for instance, in some cases, you know, uh, schools where clothes on Lee?

Because there were Italians.

Ah, I mean, the those measures applies to people traveling from Italy, no matter what nationalities they're from.

But issue are Italians, and you have lived here for many, many years and you have not been in Italy for many months or years.

Of course, you are no different from any other or pretty showing national living in the UK, so that is a discrimination that only because your Italians, you are see as risk us as a danger.

How hurtful was that?

Well, does he dies, does her attire to say And that's where we are particularly close to our citizens.

The Italian prime minister paraphrased Winston Churchill, saying that your country faces its darkest hour.

Your wife is herself British.

Do you fear that the UK is about to face?

Its stock is down?

I hope not.

Obviously hope not.

I do hope that the ah, the problem here can be, can be can be tackled in a way that would not create much discomfort or damage to the to the British people.

Numbers, of course.

Ah are starting to increase here a swell.

I think that that who do hope that what has happened in China, in Italy, the way that we have acted and reacted can also help the British authorities and the British people from this mean following the kind of fairly draconian measures that Italy has implemented sooner.

Perhaps then it's not for me to give any kind of suggestion and it can device to the British authorities.

Of course, each country in these each government is to take the way that they think is best full day on people for their own country.

What I'm expressing is just hope that a say the situation here will not will not escalate.

You hope that it won't but you fear that it might.

I do hope that too will notes.

But your fears, really.

I mean, it's not I'm not.

I'm not a scientist, so I do prefer not to comment on things that I don't really master when you look at what's being done in other European countries.

So for example, Czech Republic has only 40 cases.

We have nearly 400 now.

Yet in check their closing schools and banning events already, would you feel more comfortable knowing what your country has bean through if the government was acting now, too?

Okay, schools or ban sports events.

As I said, I mean, it's for the government to decide what is best for the for the for the British people.

People can react in a different way under different circumstances in different countries.

So what is best for the for the British people, of course, is for the UK government to decide what we can do is basic to follow and also recommend the Italian citizens to follow the advice off the British authorities.

It's being suggested here by some that the government is prioritizing the health of the economy over the health off its citizens.

What do you say to that?

I think that it's important, of course, to take care of the health of the citizens.

Try, you know, not to jeopardize the health of the economy.

This is all source we're trying.

We're trying to do in In Italy, for instance, in our case, you know, the didn't industrial system is its function is continuing to to to follow a cz usual.

We are talking to the European Commission to see what kind of flexibility they are prepared to give us.

And I know that there are very good signs coming from the European Commission from this point to forget.

But of course, no to the to the badge.

It So of course, taken care off.

Your citizen does not mean that you neglect the economy.

What if I don't think it's a trade off?

I don't think that you know, either get the one or the other.

The other thing, the important thing is that the country asshole it's been it's been taken care of by the government.

What do your fears for the Italian economy and the European economy after this?

Well, of course, you know it.

Sze difficult, difficult time for its own economy and for the European economy, including, I should say, the UK ones.

Let's see how long these crisis lasts.

I think that what police some talk about signed government.

What we're trying to do is write, write the right way, the right, the right approach trying t support.

You know, people buy support also the economy and that we do need also the the understanding and you know, the support of the European Commission.

How what do you say to people who say that given that seasonal flu kills hundreds of people every year, that what the Italian government is doing is an overreaction on the other countries following what you're doing?

Our water over reacted.

Hey, seems to me that people used with reaction for transparency.

I think what determine government is trying to do is is that so far is to be clear, transparent.

I think it's very important, especially in moment of crisis that you give the full information that the correct one to the people so that they even when they were two, the people I mean there to make a difficult decision for the life, you know, they have to change their habits, their to change their behavior.

They know why they're doing that.

So I don't think that the governors have reacted.

I think what we have done and my minister Demayo is say that many, many occasions, how important it is to be transparent and toe toe toe.