下面是意大利人写给世界的公开信：
I am writing to you from Bergamo, Italy, at the heart of the coronavirus crisis.
我在意大利的Bergamo 给大家写信。是这次疫情的中心。
The news media in the US has not captured the severity of what is happening here. I am writing this post because each of you, today, not the government, not the school district, not the mayor, each individual citizen has the chance, today to take actions that will deter the Italian situation from becoming your own country’s reality.
美国新闻媒体的报导没有全部体现出意大利疫情的严重性。我写信给大家，是因为你们每一个人，不是政府，不是学区，不是市长，而是每一个公民，有机会从今天开始行动，才能不让意大利的现状变成你们国家的现实。
The only way to stop this virus is to limit contagion. And the only way to limit contagion is for millions of people to change their behavior today.
制止病毒唯一的方法是限制传播，而限制传播的唯一方法是成百上千万的人改变他们的行为方式。
If you are in Europe or the US you are weeks away from where we are today in Italy.
如果你在欧洲或者美国，你们也许几周之后就会像意大利一样。
I can hear you now. “It’s just a flu. It only affects old people with preconditions”。
我能听到你们说：这只是个流感，老人和有慢性病的人才有风险。
There are 2 reasons why Coronavirus has brought Italy to it’s knees. First it is a flu is devastating when people get really sick they needweeks of ICU – and, second, because of how fast and effectively it spreads. There is 2 week incubation period and many who have it never show symptoms.
这个肺炎有两个原因让意大利到了今天“跪倒”的地步。第一，这个流感可以让一些人病得非常严重，需要好几周的重症监护；第二，这个病毒传播得又快又有效，而且带病毒的人可以有两周没有症状的传染期，有些带毒人可以一直没有症状。
When Prime Minister Conte announced last night that the entire country, 60 million people, would go on lock down, the line that struck me most was “there is no more time.” Because to be clear, this national lockdown, is a hail mary. What he means is that if the numbers of contagion do not start to go down, the system, Italy, will collapse.
昨天当意大利总理Conte 宣布封国的时候，让6000万意大利人限制流动，他说的给我印象最深的一句话是“ 我们没有时间了”。这是我们绝处逢生最后的孤注一掷。他是说如果我们的传染源数量不能尽快开始减少，整个意大利就完了。
Why? Today the ICUs in Lombardy are at capacity – more than capacity. They have begun to put ICU units in the hallways. If the numbers do not go down, the growth rate of contagion tells us that there will be thousands of people who in a matter of a week? two weeks? who will need care. What will happen when there are 100, or a 1000 people who need the hospital and only a few ICU places left?
为什么这么说呢？因为今天在 Lombardy地区的重症监护已经没有病房了。已经超载了。医院开始把重症单元放到楼道里。如果传染源数量不减少，一两周之内就会有上千的病人需要就诊。如果有100人或者1000人等着进入重症监护但又没有床位，那该怎么办？
On Monday a doctor wrote in the paper that they have begun to have to decide who lives and who dies when the patients show up in the emergency room, like what is done in war. This will only get worse.
星期一的时候，有个医生写道，他们已经像在战场一样，决定先救谁，决定谁生谁死。这种状况会越来越糟。
There are a finite number of doctors, nurses,medical staff and they are getting the virus. They have also been working non-stop, non-stop for days and days. What happens when the doctors, nurses and medical staff are simply not able to care for the patients, when they are not there?
医护人员的数量是有限的，也出现了医护人员的感染。这些天他们也一直日夜不停地工作。如果医护人员耗尽力气，无暇再照顾病人怎么办？
And finally for those who say that this is just something that happens to old people, starting yesterday the hospitals are reporting that younger and younger patients – 40, 45, 18, are coming in for treatment.
很多人说这个病毒只害老人，从昨天开始，医院里报告说病人越来越年轻了，40岁，45岁，18岁的也来就医。
You have a chance to make a difference and stop the spread in your country. Push for the entire office to work at home today, cancel birthday parties, and other gatherings, stay home as much as you can.
你们还有机会阻止你们国家内的传染。在家工作，取消聚会，尽量多地呆在家里吧。
If you have a fever, any fever, stay home. Push for school closures, now. Anything you can do to stop the spread, because it is spreading in your communities – there is a two week incubation period – and if you do these things now you can buy your medical system time.
如果你有发烧，一定待在家里。呼吁学校关门，做一切阻止病毒传播的事情。因为病毒已经在你们社区传播了，并且有2周的潜伏期。如果现在开始尽一切力量阻止传播，可以给你们的医疗系统更多的准备时间。
And for those who say it is not possible to close the schools, and do all these other things, locking down Italy was beyond anyone’s imagination a week ago.
如果你们说怎么可能关学校或者不出门呢，那你想想，一周以前，谁会想到整个意大利会封国。
Soon you will not have a choice, so do what you can now.
很快你们就没有选择了。所以现在赶快行动。
Please share。
请转发给你的朋友和家人。
