Italy confirms all regions will be in the low-restriction 'white zone' from Monday
Italian health minister Roberto Speranza on Friday confirmed that all regions of Italy would be allowed to ease the health measures further from Monday, June 28th, as the number of infections recorded remained low this week.
The last region still classed as a ‘yellow’ zone, Valle d’Aosta, will join the rest of the country in the low-risk ‘white’ tier, meaning most rules can be relaxed.
Covid-19: When do you still need to wear a mask in Italy?
The main difference will be that the end to the limit on the number of guests you can have at home (which is currently four in yellow zones, not including children).
Outdoor mask-wearing rules can also be eased in ‘white’ zones from Monday - though not removed completely - as the government announced earlier this week.
Most other measures have already been relaxed, including the midnight-5am curfew, which was scrapped nationwide on Monday June 21st.
Social distancing rules remain in place in ‘white’ zones, as does a ban on parties and large gatherings at home.
“With the decree I just signed, all of Italy will be ‘white’ starting from Monday. It is an encouraging result, but we still need caution and prudence,” Speranza wrote in a Facebook post.
Referring to the spread of more transmissible variants of the coronavirus, the minister added: “the battle has not yet been won.”
READ ALSO: Italian health experts warn about Delta variant as vaccine progress slows
The Higher Health Institute (ISS) said in a report on Friday the Delta variant now accounted for more than 16% of new cases in Italy, and warned that this variant was more contagious and had the potential to partially elude vaccines.
The ISS report, along with others from Italian health experts and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) this week, called for more sequencing and renewed efforts to increase vaccination coverage in order to prevent the country’s health situation from worsening.
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The last region still classed as a ‘yellow’ zone, Valle d’Aosta, will join the rest of the country in the low-risk ‘white’ tier, meaning most rules can be relaxed.
Covid-19: When do you still need to wear a mask in Italy?
The main difference will be that the end to the limit on the number of guests you can have at home (which is currently four in yellow zones, not including children).
Outdoor mask-wearing rules can also be eased in ‘white’ zones from Monday - though not removed completely - as the government announced earlier this week.
Most other measures have already been relaxed, including the midnight-5am curfew, which was scrapped nationwide on Monday June 21st.
Social distancing rules remain in place in ‘white’ zones, as does a ban on parties and large gatherings at home.
“With the decree I just signed, all of Italy will be ‘white’ starting from Monday. It is an encouraging result, but we still need caution and prudence,” Speranza wrote in a Facebook post.
Referring to the spread of more transmissible variants of the coronavirus, the minister added: “the battle has not yet been won.”
READ ALSO: Italian health experts warn about Delta variant as vaccine progress slows
The Higher Health Institute (ISS) said in a report on Friday the Delta variant now accounted for more than 16% of new cases in Italy, and warned that this variant was more contagious and had the potential to partially elude vaccines.
The ISS report, along with others from Italian health experts and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) this week, called for more sequencing and renewed efforts to increase vaccination coverage in order to prevent the country’s health situation from worsening.
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