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Covid-19: Most of Italy under lockdown again as country battles new wave of infections

AFP/The Local
AFP/The Local - [email protected]
Covid-19: Most of Italy under lockdown again as country battles new wave of infections
People queue outside a coffe as they can only consume take-away food and drinks in Rome, on March 15, 2021, as three-quarters of Italians entered a strict lockdown as the government put in place restrictive measures to fight the rise of COVID-19 infections. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP)

Schools, restaurants, shops and museums closed across most of Italy on Monday amid a new wave of Covid-19 infections.

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The Italian government announced on Friday that most of the country would effectively be under lockdown - in either the 'red' or 'orange' zone - following a fresh surge in infections.

Health Minister Roberto Speranza said he hoped the measures and vaccination programme would allow restrictions to be relaxed in the second half of spring.

"Each dose of vaccine injected is a step in the direction of the way out of the crisis," he said on Sunday.

Despite immunisation programmes gathering pace, surges in infections remain a threat, and Italian authorities reimposed restrictions on three quarters of the country until April 6th to suppress an outbreak fuelled by a Covid-19 variant first detected in Britain.

The streets of central Rome were quiet Monday morning as the new restrictions took hold, which were sure to further bruise businesses already battered by a year of anti-virus measures.

"I didn't expect it. We live from day to day," said barista Ana Cedeno as she prepared take-out coffees for a few customers.

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"We have lost a lot of money, because our customers have no money."

All non-essential shops were closed from Monday, including in Rome and Milan, with residents told to stay home except for work, health or other essential reasons.

From Monday, every region with more than 250 cases per 100,000 inhabitants (according to official weekly health data) would be moved automatically into the highest-risk red zone, a spokesman for Prime Minister Mario Draghi's office said.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi delivers a speech during a visit to a new vaccination centre at Rome's Fiumicino Airport on Friday. Photo: GUGLIELMO MANGIAPANE/POOL/AFP.

New restrictions will be in place until at least Easter, when all of Italy would be under 'red' zone restrictions over the weekend of April 3-5, the prime minister's office has confirmed.

The only exception to the restrictions is Sardinia, which is Italy's only "white zone".

On Friday, Draghi thanked Italians for their "infinite patience" and said the new measures would be accompanied by fresh support for families and businesses.

But he acknowledged there would be "consequences for the education of children, for the economy and also for the psychological state of us all".

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Ministers said enhanced measures were needed after weeks of rising numbers in most parts of the country.



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Italy registered almost 27,000 new Covid-19 infections on Friday and 380 deaths.

The latest official health data on Friday showed that the critical Rt number (which shows the contagion rate) had risen again this week, from 1.06 to 1.16.

Hospitals and intensive care units are now under pressure in most Italian regions, reported Italy's evidence-based medicine foundation GIMBE on Thursday.

"The trend of the contagion curve shows the start of the third wave," GIMBE head Nino Cartabellotta told Rai News.

Find all of The Local’s latest updates on the coronavirus situation in Italy here.

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Anonymous 2021/03/14 00:21
I'm arriving to Italy on April 3rd from the US (covid-tested flight to Rome). Does anyone know if the trains are still running from the airport to Florence? Not sure what will happen since the entire country will be on lockdown for those few days.
  • Anonymous 2021/03/16 10:41
    As a friendly reminder be sure to have your papers ready and the permesso di soggiorno card ready to show. When my husband returned to Italy from the US last July, they were especially interested to see his PdS, the self-declaration form, and oddly enough asked him how much money he had on him. Here is the link to the form, https://www.esteri.it/mae/en/ministero/normativaonline/decreto-iorestoacasa-domande-frequenti/focus-cittadini-italiani-in-rientro-dall-estero-e-cittadini-stranieri-in-italia.html
  • Anonymous 2021/03/15 10:12
    You can check that from Trenitalia's website. The search on the frontpage should have up-to-date timetables. There should be a solution but possibly not a direct train.
Anonymous 2021/03/12 16:45
If you have a temporary residence permit with an expiry date then you must spend 6 months and a day in Italy per year to maintain residency.
  • Anonymous 2021/03/12 20:31
    Thanks, so effectively just over 50% of my time here, that's doable
Anonymous 2021/03/12 16:07
It seems a shame that things have started to turn bad in Italy as things are improving in the UK. It could be a long time before I see my family in the UK even if the UK meet their target of near normality by June. I took residency in Italy in 2020 as I wanted to live somewhere different before we lost freedom of movement. Now I have my residency rights protected by the withdrawal agreement. How much time do I need to spend in Italy to maintain these rights? For example if I spend too long (once we get back to normal) in the UK or on holiday outside of Italy would I lose my residency rights?
  • Anonymous 2021/03/12 16:32
    As a in Italy your rights will be protected under the Withdrawal Agreement for as long as you remain a resident. As a permanent resident your rights will only be lost if you spend more than five consecutive years outside of Italy. See https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/916077/Information_Booklet_for_UK_Nationals.pdf

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