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Childhood detention represents an integral part of the public health response to the COVID-19 emergency. Prison conditions in Italy put detained minors at grave risk of contracting sudden acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. To date (29 April 2020), the Italian penitentiary system is housing 161 minors (147 males), most of them in pre-trial custody, as well as 50 children <3 y of age residing with their mothers in detention. Furthermore, the government reported 5265 unaccompanied minor migrants, mainly from Gambia and Egypt. The fundamental approach to be followed in childhood detention during COVID-19 is prevention of the introduction of infectious agents into detention facilities, limiting the spread within the prison and reducing the possibility of spread from the prison to the outside community. This appears challenging in countries like Italy with intense SARS-CoV-2 transmission. The current COVID-19 pandemic shows the need to provide a comprehensive childhood protection agenda, as the provision of healthcare for people in prisons and other places of detention is a state responsibility.

Urgent measures established to contain the transmission of COVID-19 and prevent biological hazards included very restrictive interventions on public Holy Masses and funerals. Italy banned any burial procedure and the decision particularly affected both catholic and islamic communities. The dignity of death and the religious competence as cultural competence during COVID-19 epidemic represent important aspects of the epidemic preparedness. This article provides relevant considerations about the topic from an ethical perspective.

The world’s fragmented response to the COVID-19 pandemic created fertile ground for mixed messages and inconsistency. The authors analyzed Google-trending insights from five countries (Italy, Spain, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France) across three-week time (1–23 March 2020) to document trends in population health anxiety in response to the initial global spreading of the outbreak. The results are expressed in the form of Uncertainty Index (UI), which reflects the total number of Google searches/COVID-19 prevalence and standardized per million inhabitants. The United Kingdom experienced the highest level of health anxiety (UI = 11.5), followed by France (UI = 4.6) and Spain (UI = 3.2). The United States suffered the highest rate of uncertainty in the early stage of the pandemic; the Italian population experienced a balanced level of anxiety. Institutionalizing risk communication during COVID-19 should represent an integral part of the country emergency response.

Purpose This paper aims to provide an overview of the Italian Ministry of Justice response to COVID-19 in Italian prisons, with particular focus on the conditions of super-maximum security (supermax) prisoners. Design/methodology/approach The paper is presented in the form of viewpoint and involves the reconciliation of peer-reviewed publications, technical documents and experts’ opinions. Findings The paper poses critical challenges on the risk of social inequalities and substandard of care for supermax prisoners. Research limitations/implications Because the COVID-19 emergency represents an evolving situation, the research describes an instantaneous scenario of the problem, possibly subjected to further dynamics. Practical implications The paper rises relevant challenges in terms of equalities and human rights, which should be considered by policymakers. Social implications The research highlights the importance of the health protection for supermax prisoners during COVID-19 as it is a State responsibility. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the paper contributes to the development of subsequent studies on the topic owing to its unique knowledge that was so far not available from previous research.