Emilia-Romagna Region has been at the forefront of the outburst of the epidemic on the European territory. According to most recent bulletin, the region has so far registered 29434 people infected and 4283 deaths: the Province of Reggio Emilia alone counted 4103 people infected and 506 deaths.
The Municipality has tried to respond to the needs of the population by activating various services, in cooperation with other actors of the territory. First of all, it activated home delivery services for basic commodities, aimed especially at the most fragile people. In addition, thanks to government measures, the Municipality activated a Mutual Aid Fund for citizens in need to collect donations and the contribution allocated by the Italian Government.
At the same time, the Municipality increased its commitment to make its proximity felt by citizens: for instance, it launched a survey to better understand the needs of the population and better support the territory. Similarly, several cultural and social initiatives have been carried out online to support citizens in this difficult moment (e.g. the special night of tales)
COVID has brought out new needs and new demands that perhaps were not so visible before the crisis, and which emerged in particular during the meetings with PROSPERA local stakeholder group:
- A prominent request for more green spaces accessible to citizens in urban and peri-urban areas.
- The need to improve the relationship between citizens and the agricultural and rural world, by working on education and awareness-raising activities for citizens.
- A greater request for local food produced by local farms situated in peri-urban areas, which resulted in the creation of delivery systems that worked well during the crisis, but might not be economically viable even in the aftermath period.
- The increase of proximity tourism, which might become an opportunity for local actors to propose safe solutions and experiences in contact with nature to rediscover the cultural, natural and culinary aspects of our territory.
