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A6 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 13 OcTOber 2020

In this Oct. 4, 2020 file photo, Vatican Swiss Guards stand
attention at the St. Damaso courtyard on the occasion of
their swearing-in ceremony, at the Vatican, Sunday, Oct.
4, 2020.
Associated Press
4 Swiss Guards test

positive as COVID-19 Mink breeder Thorbjoern Jepsen holds up a mink, as police forcibly gained access to his mink

penetrates Vatican farm in Gjoel, Denmark, Friday, Oct. 9, 2020. Associated Press

By NICOLE WINFIELD Danes start culling 2.5 million
Associated Press minks after virus hits farms
ROME (AP) — Four Swiss Guards have tested positive
for coronavirus and were showing symptoms, the
Vatican said Monday, as the surge in infections in sur- By JAN M. OLSEN of an infected farm must fused to let authorities en-
rounding Italy penetrates the Vatican walls. Associated Press put them to sleep them- ter his farm to cull the ani-
The Swiss Guards, the world's oldest standing army, COPENHAGEN, Denmark selves, said Flemming Kure mals and a padlock had
provide ceremonial guard duty during papal Mass- (AP) — Danish veterinarians Marker of the government to been cut, police spokes-
es, man the Vatican gates and help protect the and farmers have begun agency. man Henrik Skals told The
83-year-old Pope Francis. culling at least 2.5 million "We are moving forward, Associated Press. Over the
The four are in isolation while their contacts are be- minks in northern Denmark, we are getting it done," weekend, a handful of
ing traced, the Vatican said Monday. They join three authorities said Monday, he said of the culling that protesters were removed
other Vatican residents who tested positive in recent after coronavirus has been started Thursday in the vil- outside two mink farms, he
weeks plus the dozen or so Holy See officials who reported in at least 63 lage of Gjoel, west of Aal- added.
tested positive during the first wave of the outbreak. farms. borg, adding it could last The administration said
Despite the positive cases among his own guards, The Danish Veterinary months, depending on the breeders with non-infected
Francis on Monday was seen once again without a and Food Administration spread of the virus. minks will get 100% com-
mask. He warmly greeted Cardinal George Pell in his is handling the culling of There was no immediate pensation while those with
private studio, and neither man wore a mask. Also the infected animals while figures on how many ani- infected animals will re-
unmasked were Pell's secretary and the Vatican breeders who have non- mals have already been ceive less as an incentive
photographer. infected animals on a farm killed. for farmers to keep the in-
Francis, who lost part of one lung to illness when he within 8 kilometers (5 miles) On Friday, a mink farmer re- fection out of their herds.q
was a young man, has drawn sharp criticism in social
media for shunning a mask during his Wednesday U.K. sheep farmer jailed for
general audience, held last week indoors. He was
seen shaking hands with clerics and otherwise min- contaminated baby food plot
gling with the masked crowd. His bodyguards were
similarly maskless.
Italy is seeing a sharp surge in COVID-19 cases, with co grocery stores and sent dozens of let-
the Lazio region around the Vatican among the ters and emails to the supermarket com-
worst-hit in this second wave of the pandemic. Lazio pany in a bid to extort 1.4 million pounds
currently has more people hospitalized with the vi- ($1.8 million) in bitcoin between 2018 and
rus than any other region, at 911, with 69 in intensive February. Tesco had to issue a product re-
care. call after two mothers reported discover-
The Vatican last week amended its mask mandates ing pieces of metal in jars of Heinz baby
to conform to that of Italy, requiring them indoors food. No babies were harmed but in all,
and out. The Vatican didn't immediately respond 42,000 jars of Heinz baby food were recov-
when asked why Francis wasn't wearing one to re- ered.
ceive Pell. This undated file photo combination issued by Wright, 45, was accused of orchestrating
The guards, famous for their billowy blue, red and yel- Hertfordshire Constabulary shows Nigel Wright the plot, allegedly in the name of a group
low striped uniforms, are all single Swiss men under and a jar of Heinz baby food that was laced of farmers angry at the low price they
age 30 and must be upstanding Catholics. They sign with fragments of a craft knife by Wright. were paid for their milk. He denied the
up for two-year tours of duty and live communally Associated Press charges, but was convicted of two counts
inside the Vatican City State. of contaminating goods and three counts
During their annual swearing in ceremony — usually LONDON (AP) — A sheep farmer was sen- of blackmail. "You chose to use threats of
held in May but postponed until Oct. 4 because of tenced to 14 years in prison Monday for a particularly blood-curdling nature, delib-
COVID-19 — none of the recruits donned a mask, his plot to use baby food laced with metal erately designed to exploit the vulnerabil-
even though they wear them while standing guard shards to blackmail one of Britain's biggest ity of children, and the consequent vulner-
at the entrances to Vatican City.q supermarket chains. Nigel Wright planted ability of a supermarket concerned for its
jars of the contaminated baby food in Tes- business," the judge said.q