Massimiliano Tonelli condemns photographers documenting empty cities during COVID-19 lockdown

In a March 2020 opinion piece on Artribune, editor Massimiliano Tonelli harshly criticizes photographers who venture into deserted Italian cities to capture images during the COVID-19 lockdown. He labels them 'imbeciles' and 'new jackals of empty cities,' arguing that their behavior is irresponsible and undermines public health measures. Tonelli suggests that such actions encourage others to break quarantine, potentially increasing virus transmission and fatalities. He proposes that offenders should be required to perform volunteer work at overwhelmed hospitals in Bergamo and Milan, such as the Ospedale Giovanni XXIII and Ospedale Sacco, or assist with burial operations in the Val Seriana, where a burial occurs every 30 minutes. The article also criticizes unclear government regulations and calls for stricter enforcement, including the use of technology to track movements. Tonelli emphasizes that sharing these images on social media is particularly harmful, as it glorifies rule-breaking. The piece reflects the tension between documenting historical moments and adhering to public health directives during the pandemic.