The mayor of a small town in southern Italy has issued an unusual proclamation: “Getting sick is prohibited.” Residents of Belcastro in the southern region of Calabria have been “ordered to avoid contracting any illness that requires medical assistance, especially an emergency,” a decree from Mayor Antonio Torchia stated.

A small village in the south of Italy has banned local residents from becoming seriously ill. The 1,300 inhabitants of Belcastro in Calabria, one of the country’s poorest regions, have been ordered “to avoid contracting any illness that may require emergency medical assistance”.

Residents of the small southern village of Belcastro were "ordered to avoid contracting any illness that may require emergency medical assistance."