Italian Mayor Bans Residents from Getting Sick as Hospital Shortage Plagues Region

Belcastro, a remote village in Calabria, Italy, is facing a healthcare crisis. Mayor Antonio Torchia's is urging residents to avoid falling ill due to the lack of local emergency services and distant hospitals. (Credit: Comune di Belcastro/Facebook)

Residents of Belcastro, a small, remote village in Calabria, Italy, received an unusual directive from their mayor -- stay healthy at all costs.

"(Residents) are ... ordered to avoid contracting any illness that may require emergency medical assistance," Belcastro Mayor Antonio Torchia announced, as first reported by the BBC.