Pandemic exposes the vulnerability of Italys new poor
Summary
Italian agriculture lobby Coldiretti estimates that the virus has created 300,000 newly poor people, based on surveys of the dozens of charity groups operating in the region. And we don’t know when or if they will be restored.” Researchers at Milan’s Bocconi University said in a working paper for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development that blue-collar workers without college degrees paid the heaviest price for Italys virus restrictions. Simone discovered too late that her cafeteria contract described her as an occasional worker, meaning she had no basis to request government support to replace lost income. Even when workers qualify for Italy’s public-private short-term layoff scheme, the money has arrived late and is generally inadequate to cover a familys basic expenses, Chiavarini said. Progetto Arca, which runs shelters and provides other social services in Milan, started operating a food truck last month after seeing that homeless people who had filled their stomachs with restaurant and bar handouts were going hungry during the partial fall lockdown when many establishments had closed.