シェフの「絶望の叫び」が拡散、ロックダウンのイタリア

【ローマＡＦＰ＝時事】終わりの見えない新型コロナウイルス禍の嘆きのシンボルとなっている若きイタリア人シェフが18日、飲食業界の絶望の叫びに耳を傾けるようマリオ・ドラギ首相に呼び掛けた。（写真はイタリアのマリオ・ドラギ首相）
　ドラギ氏は１２日、首都ローマを含む大半の州や地域で３週間の厳格なロックダウンを宣言。ローマ市のオスティア地区にあるカミラ・モッチャさん（２２）一家の店も休業に追い込まれた。
　１１日、予約が一件もなくロックダウンのニュースを待つモッチャさんが店のキッチンでうずくまる写真を、母親が撮影した。
　母親が写真をフェイスブックに投稿し、休業に対する政府の支援がないことへの怒りをすべて大文字で書き足した。
　写真は瞬く間に拡散。新聞の１面も飾り、モッチャさんは思いがけず有名になった。「注目されるのは好きじゃないけど、共感を呼んだことはうれしい。写真のメッセージ、私たちの絶望の叫びが伝わったということだから」とモッチャさん。
　「おばあちゃんの味」をコンセプトにした出来たてパスタが売りのモッチャさん一家の店に対する補助金は、この１年でわずか４０００ユーロ（約５０万円）。モッチャさんは、「ドラギ氏と会えたら、目を見てこう言いたい…あなたはワクチン接種の話ばかりしているけれど、廃業に追い込まれている人のことも少しは考えてほしい」と語った。
　バーやレストラン、ナイトクラブ、ビーチクラブが加盟する飲食業界団体フィペによると、昨年１０～１２月期はケータリング部門の売上高も前年同期比で４４．３％減少したという。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/03/19-17:55）

A young Italian chef who has become a symbol of frustration with the never-ending coronavirus crisis said Thursday she wants Prime Minister Mario Draghi to listen to her despair.
A photo of Camilla Moccia crouching on the floor of the kitchen of her family's restaurant, her head in her knees, has gone viral in Italy and made the front pages of several newspapers.
My mother took it last Thursday, it was one of those days ... we didn't have any reservations, the weather was not so good and we were waiting for [lockdown] news, the 22-year-old told AFP.
The next day, Draghi announced a three-week red zone shutdown for the Rome region and most of Italy, forcing the closure of Moccia's restaurant in Ostia, a suburb of the capital by the sea.
Her mother posted the photo on Facebook, later adding an angry message -- all in capital letters -- about the lack of government help for businesses affected by virus shutdowns.
The picture spread quickly on the web, turning Moccia into an unlikely star.
I don't like being in the limelight, but I am happy that it struck a chord, it means that the message, our cries of despair, are getting through, she said.
Moccia said her family-run restaurant -- which she described as offering grandma-style fresh pasta -- has received only 4,000 euros ($4,770) in state support over the past 12 months.
If I could meet Draghi, I'd be very happy to look at him in the eye and say... you only talk about vaccinations, please also spare a thought for all those who are going out of business.
Fipe, a trade group for bars, restaurants, night clubs and beach clubs, said on March 1 that turnover for the catering sector shrank by 44.3 per cent year-on-year in October-December 2020.
Draghi's new government, which took over last month, was set Friday to announce a new package of relief measures for virus-stricken business and workers, including a moratorium on tax bills.
More than 103,000 people with Covid-19 have died in Italy since it became the first European country to face the full force of the pandemic just over one year ago.
A third wave of infections is now putting hospitals under severe strain, but the government is hoping plans to ramp-up the sluggish vaccination programme will soon provide some relief.