Published 12:19 IST, March 16th 2020
Italian Air Force put on display of solidarity amid coronavirus scare; watch
Italian airforce's recent performance where they used coloured smoke to paint the Italian flag in the sky came as an incredible display of defiance.
Italian airforce on March 12 put on an amazing air show to display the solidarity in times when the country is battling to contain a deadly contagious disease outbreak. Italy is under lockdown since last week after coronavirus, which is already raging havoc in the rest of the world, claimed more than 1,800 lives and forced the local authorities to declare a national emergency. Italian airforce's recent performance where they used coloured smoke to paint the Italian flag in the sky came as an incredible display of defiance.
Italian airforce took to its official Twitter handle to share the video with a motivating caption which has since garnered more than 2,40,000 views and over 5,400 likes. The Italian airforce wrote, "Unity and teamwork have always been the principles on which our Armed Force is based and, at this moment more than ever, are fundamental." The video was also shared by the United States President Donald Trump.
Coronavirus outbreak
Italy is the most affected country after mainland China where the death toll has reached 1,809 as of March 16. According to reports, there are currently 20,603 active coronavirus cases in the country, of which 1,672 patients are under critical condition. Media reports suggest that Italy has successfully treated 2,335 patients from the 24,747 cases that have been reported since December 2019.
The novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has claimed more than 6,500 lives across the world and has infected over 1,69,000 people globally since it first broke out in December 2019. China is the most affected country in the world as experts believe that the virus originated from a seafood market in Wuhan city, the epicentre of the disease, where animals were reportedly being traded illegally. Iran, Spain and South Korea are other highly impacted countries where death tolls from the disease have crossed the three-digit mark.
Updated 12:38 IST, March 16th 2020