A man living in the epicentre of Italy's Coronavirus pandemic has warned some members of the charedi community: "Hashem will not save you from your own stupidity."

Referring to flouting of government regulations that forbid gatherings of more than two people, Michael Paysden declared: "People who are refusing to isolate, continuing to go to shul and parks with the 'Hashem will protect you logic', might as well jump off a cliff and say that He'll protect you when you hit the ground.

"I hope that the luck holds of those who aren't taking it seriously, and think that they won't get it," said Mr Paysden who spent six years living in Manchester, and himself has been presenting mild symptoms of COVID-19.

He has not left his flat in Bergamo, where several hundred people have died in more than three weeks.

Mr Paysden, 68, himself an Orthodox Jew, has opened up to the Jewish Telegraph about living in the town, while issuing a stark warning to those in the UK who continue to flout government regulations about staying indoors.

Kent-born English teacher Mr Paysden is living in a flat with six people, including his wife, three older sons and one of his sons' girlfriends.

He described the situation as "eerie". "There are police cars driving round continuously telling people to stay in doors," he explained.

"Several military vehicles are driving around, too, but I'm not sure why. We're now living in a town, that used to be a busy, industrial place, of nothing. "Everything has ground to a halt - except for the ambulance sirens going off all the time. It's stressful in ways that are difficult to sum up".

Mr Paysden has not left his flat since the start of March. Everyone in his flat has also been showing mild symptoms, but his sons take it in turns to pick up supplies.

He added: "I've got cabin fever. I feel imprisoned, or like I'm under house arrest for a crime I haven't committed.

"The worst thing is just figuring out who of our friends and neighbours is ill and who isn't.

"Someone I know is a nurse, and she said that they'll have someone come in with breathing trouble, then they'll be put on a ventilator, then a few hours later they're dead."

The Italian death toll passed 10,000 on Monday, with an increase of 889 over the weekend.

And Mr Paysden was adamant that those in his home country are not taking it seriously.

"It's difficult to understand at the start how serious it is," he said.

"Statistically, most people recover, but that betrays that even the small number of people dying, is still a large number given the infections.

"People still say it's like the flu, or even that it's conspiracy, but there is nothing artificial about this.

"I presume it will pass - even the Spanish Flu past after two years." But it's not all bad news in Bergamo, as Mr Paysden said that, for the first time in as long as he can remember, the air "tastes beautifully fresh and clean".

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