To heal Covid-19 wounds we need a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Reflections from Lombardy, Italy by Claudia Mazzucato

The unprecedented death of thousands of people over just a few weeks, due to Covid-19, in one of the most developed areas of Italy might be described as collective trauma. Without the offer of some ‘other’ responses, the quest for justice flows into criminal (punitive) justice from which no redress and no healing are to be expected. Communities severely hit by Covid-19 in Lombardy are searching for truth, justice, and guarantees of non-recurrence. Resorting to criminal justice will not respond to the immense and complex needs of Covid-19 survivors, family members, and communities. Such a painful and unprecedented individual and collective experience calls for something very similar to a truth and reconciliation commission.