AEP’s network examines Covid-19 across Europe – five years on

In the latest co-produced report from A European Perspective, journalists from Public Service Media across Europe have taken a deep dive into the Covid-19 pandemic – a public health crisis whose ramifications are still being felt across the world five years on.

The story recalls, in one example, the shocking scenes from Bergamo, which became “ground zero” for the pandemic in Europe: “The army was called in to help with the massive number of casualties in Bergamo and the province of the same name, where 6,000 people died in one month – a staggering jump from the 2,000 deaths usually recorded. Five years on, the grief still feels fresh in the region.” 

From school closures to curfews and isolation measures, the article paints a stark picture of both the deadly impact of the pandemic, but also the social costs and asks: will governments be ready for the next pandemic?  

This collaborative story, featuring an interactive map, brings together reporting from 17 AEP members and includes testimony from those on the frontline in healthcare settings as well as from people who suffered from the brunt of the crisis, such as children and young people, as well as the elderly. 

It has so far been published by: 

RTBF (Belgium) 

RTP (Portugal) 

RTVE (Spain) 

Swissinfo (Switzerland) in English and Portuguese 

LSM (Latvia) 

CT (Czechia) 

ERTNews (Greece)

BR (Germany)

LRT (Lithuania)

Illustration by Ann-Sophie De Steur