被封国的意大利人，写了封英语公开信，心酸！海外已疯转
意大利新冠疫情继续恶化，确诊病例已过万。对于人口只有6000万的意大利而言，这个比例确实很吓人。
意大利政府宣布从3月10日开始“封国”（national lockdown)，意大利总理孔特要求国民待在家里不要出门。
不过，意大利的封城跟我们理解的封城有所不同，商店继续营业，公交车继续运营。居民如需要外出，需携带一张写有“出门理由”的自主受权书，显得十分“自由”。
意大利居民出行的“自主授权书”
然而自由是有代价的，疫情没有因此停止，确诊病例几乎是“一夜破百，一周破千，两周破万”的速度，让意大利迅速成为重灾区。
虽然有意大利的“前车之鉴”，但还是有一些国家抱有侥幸心理，既不封城，也不强制戴口罩，甚至不惜牺牲百万人以达到“群体免疫”。
面对这样的国际环境，被封国的意大利人发了一封“公开信”，给全世界敲了敲警钟。
这封信已在海外社交媒体广泛流传，国外网友读完感触很深。下面是一位网友读完公开信的感慨：
One of my relatives just forwarded this email to me from one of their friends in Italy. I can’t vouch for its authenticity or accuracy, but it certainly got my attention, and based on what I’ve been reading about the situation in Bergamo and Italy, I believe it. You, however, can decide what to believe for yourself – just don’t fool yourself.
【译】我的一个亲戚从他的意大利朋友拿到这封信，并转发给我。我无法担保此信的真实性和准确性，但确实引发了我的关注。鉴于我从贝加莫和意大利了解的情况，我相信这封信是真的，信不信由你，但不要愚弄自己。
这封公开信的英文部分来自互联网，中文翻译来自“英语周报”今日头条账号，语言点整理来自侃哥。让我们一边倾听意大利人的心声，一边学英文。
I am writing to you from Bergamo, Italy, at the heart of the coronavirus crisis.
【译】我正在意大利这次新冠疫情的中心贝加莫市写这篇文章，希望大家都能看到。
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.
【译】美国新闻媒体并没有充分报道意大利疫情的严重状况。我写此文的原因是，今天，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——都还有机会马上采取行动，不要让重蹈意大利的覆辙。
意大利贝加莫城
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.
【译】阻止病毒肆虐的唯一方法就是限制传播。而限制传播的唯一方法就是千千万万人改变现在的行为方式。
If you are in Europe or the US you are weeks away from where we are today in Italy.
【译】如果你们目前在欧洲或美国，也许几周之后，你们所处之地就会像今天的意大利一样了。
I can hear you now. “It’s just a flu. It only affects old people with preconditions”。
【译】我似乎能听到有人说：“这只是个流感。原本身体就不好的老人才会被传染上。”
There are 2 reasons why Coronavirus has brought Italy to its knees. First, it is devastating. When people get really sick, they need weeks of ICU – and. Second, because of how fast and effectively it spreads, there is a two-week incubation period and many who have it never show symptoms.
【译】新冠病毒令意大利几无招架之力，原因有二。第一，这种病毒极具破坏性——重症患者要接受好几周的重症监护；第二，这种病毒传播速度快，传播效率高。病毒潜伏期为两周，而病毒携带者中有很多始终没有出现症状。
When Prime Minister Conte announced last night that the entire country, 60 million people, would go on lockdown, 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.
【译】昨晚意大利总理孔特宣布将封闭意大利全国——这意味着6000万意大利人将限制出行——他的讲话中，我印象最深的一句就是“我们没有时间了”。很显然，封国是孤注一掷之举。他的意思是，如果传染人数不能尽快开始减少，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 1000 people who need the hospital and only a few ICU places left?
1.at capacity：以最大程度
2.hallway: n.走廊
【译】为什么这么说？今天，伦巴第大区的重症监护病房已经满载——甚至超载了。医院已经开始把重症监护病房安置在走廊里。如果传染人数还不减少，按照目前的传染增长速度，也就一周或是两周吧，就会有成千上万人需要就医。如果到时有100人或者1000人需要入院治疗但重症监护病房已所剩无几，会出现什么状况？
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.
【译】星期一，有位医生在报纸上发表文章说，当病人一个接一个送进急诊室时，医生们已经像在战场上一样，必须决定先救谁——决定谁生谁死。状况只会越来越糟。
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?
【译】医生、护士等医护人员的数量是有限的，而且他们也有人被感染了。这些日子他们夜以继日地工作。如果有一天，这些医护人员再也无力照顾病人，无法坚守岗位，又会出现什么状况？
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.
【译】最后，再对那些认为只有老人会被这种病毒感染的人说一句：从昨天开始，医院报告说，前去就诊的病人越来越年轻了——40岁、45岁、18岁都有。
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.
1.make a difference: 扭转乾坤
2.cancel: vt.取消
【译】你们还有机会做些什么，为阻止病毒在你们国家传播贡献一份力量。请让各个机构的员工现在都在家工作，请取消生日聚会等各种聚会，请尽可能待在家里。
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.
【译】如果发烧了，出现任何发烧症状，请一定待在家里。请现在就关闭学校。请竭尽全力阻止病毒传播，因为它会不知不觉在你们社区传播开——它可有两周的潜伏期——如果现在就开始这么做，能够为你们的医疗系统争取更多的准备时间。
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.
【译】有人会说，关闭学校不可能，刚刚说的那些事都不可能做到——我想对他们说，一周以前，有谁会想到整个意大利都要封闭。
Soon you will not have a choice, so do what you can now.
【译】很快你们就没有选择的余地了，所以，现在就尽全力行动吧。
Please share.
【译】请转发给你的朋友和家人。
这封信写的有理有据、言辞恳切，不像是乱编的，应该来自于意大利疫区的民众。
这封信的出炉无疑给全世界敲响了警钟，目前世界各国可能是一周或两周前的意大利，如果不果断采取行动，意大利的今天就是各国的明天。
Forza, Italy!
Stay strong, world!