Venice - Scarcely have floods that
hit Venice last year receded than the coronavirus has posed a
new threat to the lagoon city's billion-euro tourism industry,
shutting carnival for the first time in 50 years and fuelling
fears of a second "economic" virus.
By Monday lunchtime, authorities had identified 32 cases in
the Veneto region, including four in Venice itself, part of an
outbreak across northern Italy that has brought more than 220
confirmed cases and at least six deaths.
As part of preventive measures that included closing off the
worst-affected towns near Italy's business capital Milan,
closing schools and universities and calling off sports events,
authorities cancelled the last two days of the Venice carnival.
It was the first time the historic carnival, with its
fantastical 18th century masks and costumes, has been shut down
early since it was revived in the 1970s.
"I think the government has been excessively prudent, to use
a euphemism, it's as though there were an Ebola epidemic," said
Marco Michielli, head of Veneto's hoteliers' association
Federalberghi.
"Cancellations are raining down all over the region, like in
the rest of Italy."
Coming on top of the disastrous floods that surged through
the city streets last November, washing into sites including the
historic Saint Mark's Basilica and sending tourists wading for
safety, the coronavirus has hit hard.
"Venice has had some pretty bad luck recently," said Marco
Pusiol, a traditional glassblower in Murano, a district of
Venice where the craft has been practised for centuries and
which was already struggling after the floods.
"We're talking about zero takings, days and days without
seeing a single customer coming into the shop."
Venice remains one of the world's most popular tourist
destinations, attracting more than 1 million visitors from China
alone last year, but the twin impact of flooding and disease has
left it reeling.
For the disoriented tourists who could still be seen
wandering in the city streets, some in anti-sickness face masks
and some still wearing their carnival costumes, the weekend left
little to celebrate.
"Stopping the carnival two days before the end is useless.
It's just a show for the media to reassure people," said
carnival goer Francesca Rota.
Even before the outbreak was announced last Friday, the
carnival season was off to a bad start with normally fully
booked hotel rooms still available and reservations down 30% on
a normal year, according to officials from the Venice hoteliers
association.
The figure was now getting close to a 40-50% fall, similar
to the level seen during last year's floods.
"Carnival brings us about 40% of our takings for the year
for a hotel sector that's worth 2 billion euros a year, not
counting all the associated businesses," said Daniele Minetti,
the association's vice-president.
"For 2020 as a whole, there's certain to be a hit."