Nursing homes or abandoned castles: COVID-19 in Italy.

In May 2020, during the first wave of COVID-19, we described Italian retirement homes (particularly in northern Italy) as besieged castles.1 These homes were in difficult times with no visitors allowed and a very high number of deaths, but overall they remained strong and capable of maintaining standards of care. As of December, 2020, during the second wave, the situation has changed completely. We could now describe Italian nursing homes as abandoned castles, where the virus has entered and settled; causing very serious damage. By whom were they abandoned?