Italy announced on Saturday that it is tightening restrictions in five of the country’s 20 regions in an effort to reduce the spread of coronavirus.
News management: The announcement comes as health experts and scientists warn of more transmissible variants of the coronavirus, according to Reuters.
Game status: For the first time since the end of January, two regions – Basilicata and Molise – have been located in the country’s red zone, the strictest level of Italy’s color-coded system.
- All non-essential bars, restaurants and companies must close and traffic will be severely restricted.
- The levels (white, yellow, orange and red) are based on the levels of infection and other factors.
- In Lombardy, Marche and Piedmont, which have been moved from the yellow zone to the orange zone, restaurants and bars must close, except for transport. Residents are also not allowed to leave the cities, except in emergencies or for health and work reasons.
- Yes but: The island of Sardinia has become the first region to move to the least restrictive white zone, according to Reuters.
What are they saying: “Many outbreaks are due to (new) variants. I am concerned about the progress of the epidemic, “Gianni Rezza, a senior adviser to the health ministry, told Reuters.
- “We need to keep our guard up and intervene promptly and strongly where needed,” Rezza added.
The whole picture: Earlier this week, the country extended a ban on non-essential travel between regions until at least March 27, according to Reuters.
- Italy began its inoculation campaign last year and has so far administered more than 4.2 million doses of vaccine. More than 1.3 million people have been completely vaccinated.
- According to the Ministry of Health, the country registered 20,499 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, from 19,886 the day before.
- More than 2.9 million cases and 97,500 deaths have been reported in Italy since the pandemic began.