Vo is a small town in Veneto, northern Italy, in which the first European victim of COVID-19 has been documented. It was the first area in Italy to be declared a “red zone” and, after the discovery of the first COVID-19 case in February 2020, no one was allowed to enter or leave. Fortunately for Vo residents, they had a microbiology professor stuck with them. Andrea Crisanti, a professor at the University of Padua, offered to test all 3,100 citizens at the start of the outbreak, and 95% of the city agreed to the experiment. One hundred citizens were found to have COVID-19 and were kept in complete isolation. The blockade was successful in slowing the spread of the virus and this method would later be used in other parts of the world. Citizens were also tested for antibodies in May 2020, and again six months later to monitor coronavirus immunity.
Photographer Matteo de Mayda photographed the city as it went from a red zone to an experiment to quarantine COVID patients in one of the healthiest places in Italy. “This information is important to understand how long the immunization lasts and also in relation to the development of the vaccine,” said de Mayda.
“In the future, Crisanti’s work can help save thousands of lives globally,” said de Mayda. The information collected from the tests and blocking would not have been possible without the cooperation of the citizens, who also agreed to provide personal data and other sensitive information for the sake of the investigation.
De Mayda started shooting in April 2020, capturing a deserted city that was beginning to emerge from a blockade that lasted for months. He photographed the city’s healing process, from the first tests to voluntary efforts, through the citizen of Vo being retested for antibodies, as well as residents who were still struggling with the long-term effects of the virus.
He hopes to keep up with the residents and Crisanti’s work, as vaccines continue to be distributed and citizens of Vo try to resume their lives.