Jo McKenna: Italy Correspondent on the impact of the heatwave in Europe

The scorching heatwave sweeping Europe has claimed lives. 

Six people have died as temperatures top 40C, with three deaths in Italy, two in Spain, and one in France. 

In parts of Italy, admissions to emergency units has risen by 15-20%, with a majority of patients being elderly. 

Italy Correspondent Jo McKenna told Mike Hosking that the government is issuing alerts saying that those working in construction or working outdoors should be out of the sun between 12:30 and 4pm. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
In Italy. Joe McKenna, very good morning to you.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
Good morning mate.

Speaker 1 (00:04):
What is it teen to nine? Caught to nine? Ah?

Speaker 2 (00:06):
Yes, thanks for keeping me awake.

Speaker 1 (00:08):
Ye, no worries at all. My apologies, but we pay
you the big bucks. Joe. You never forget that. How
what sort of temperature you're sitting in at the moment.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
Oh, it's not pleasant. It feels like thirty degrees right now.
But we've had as high as thirty seven in Rome
today in June.

Speaker 1 (00:22):
I mean the thing about thirty seven is not the
end of the world in Rome and southern Europe, but
I mean in June, it's unusual, isn't it. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
I think they're saying that the temperatures are up to
five degrees higher than usual as we've seen right across
Europe at the moment.

Speaker 1 (00:37):
And is it relentless?

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Is it?

Speaker 1 (00:38):
Day in day out?

Speaker 2 (00:40):
Yeah, that's the funny thing. I think down south in
New Zealand and Australia you might get a few hot
days and then a bit of a storm and a
change of temperature. But here it just goes on and
on and on.

Speaker 1 (00:51):
So you got people in hospital yet, what's happening?

Speaker 2 (00:55):
Yeah, the hospitals are saying there's been a twenty percent
increase in the people showing up at emergency rooms. We've
had two tourists die on the beaches in Sardinia, probably
from a heart attack or overheating. So there's some real
concern about the elderly in particular across the country, and
also people working outdoors. The government is really issuing alerts

(01:19):
saying that people working in construction or working in the
fields in agriculture should be out of the sun between
twelve thirty and four o'clock in the afternoon exactly.

Speaker 1 (01:29):
Now, what happens July nine. I'm reading over the week
in the White House said this July ninth thing. Maybe
it's on, maybe it's not dumb. How does how does
itly dubtail into that?

Speaker 2 (01:38):
Well, we know this whole argument about tariffs keeps going
around in circles. But today the head of the main
Italian business group, Manuele Orsini, was very strong saying that
Italy risks losing twenty billion euros in exports and one
hundred and twenty thousand jobs next year if these ten
percent tariffs go ahead on European product. Georgia Maloney, the

(02:01):
Prime Minister has tried to downplay the potential impact, but
I think there is real concern in business about what
sort of impact it's going to have, not only on
food stuffs, luxury goods, leather, pharmaceuticals and machinery as well.

Speaker 1 (02:14):
But the reality is you're not going to get a deal.
I mean, Vietnam got announced about an hour or two
ago and that's twenty percent. And even the special deal
with Britain, which is I can't remember what it is
it's but they still that's good on cars, but they
don't know whether it's on steel. What makes Italy think
that they've got some you.

Speaker 2 (02:28):
Know, yeah, exactly. I mean, I think we saw that
Georgia Maloney was trying to weasele her way into favor
with Donald Trump. They do have a good relationship, but
I don't think that's going to be enough to save
Italy from any kind of exemption if it hits the
rest of europe.

Speaker 1 (02:45):
An interesting you more more legal entry work visas? What
are you looking for? Who you're looking for? Can I come?
I always want to. I'd like to be in a
Tenian citizen.

Speaker 2 (02:53):
I haven't seen too many specifics, but as we know,
the young university graduates are leaving the We've got an
aging population and people don't want to have babies anymore.
This is one of the lowest birth rates in the
world in Italy. So the government is taking drastic action,
issuing five hundred thousand new work visas for non EU

(03:13):
nationals in the next three to four years. That's going
to be interesting. I'm not quite sure where they're going
to be. We're how specific and how educated you have
to be.

Speaker 1 (03:22):
At the same.

Speaker 2 (03:23):
Time, you know this government wants to get rid of
illegal arrivals.

Speaker 1 (03:26):
Exactly weird, all right, Joe, you go well, catch up
soon as Joe McKenna, who is in Italy this morning.
Isn't it funny when you hear people from other countries
say all the young people are leaving. My Nephili from
Rome a couple of years ago came here, thought we
sucked and ended up in Australia saving the time of
his life. Be that as it may. So they're leaving Australia.
Young people leaving Australia. Young people are leaving Italy. Young
people are leaving America. Young people are leaving England. Young

(03:48):
people are leaving New Zealand, where all young people Go,
Where Are Where they Go?

Speaker 2 (03:53):
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