Italy to end Covid outdoor mask requirement from Friday
The Italian health minister has signed a new ordinance easing the requirement for face masks to be worn in all outdoor public places.
More announcements about rule changes are expected in the coming days and weeks after Prime Minister Mario Draghi said on Thursday that a “timeline” would be given as the government looks at "even greater reopening of the country".
READ ALSO: Green pass and red zones: How Italy’s latest decree changes the Covid rules
While no further announcements have been made, Italian media reports that incoming rule changes are expected to include an increase in sports stadium capacity - up to at least 75 percent for outdoor facilities and 60 percent for indoor ones.
The Italian green pass system is not expected to be scaled back soon, with some experts including Walter Ricciardi, an advisor to the health minister, maintaining that it must stay in place over summer “at least”.
These rules only remain in force however under the nationwide state of emergency, which creates the conditions for the government to pass new laws urgently by decree.
Italy’s state of emergency is currently set to expire on March 31st, and therefore so are all health measures, including the mask ordinance signed on Tuesday.
Deputy Health Minister Andrea Costa said last week that "the government's objective is that [the state of emergency] not be extended after March 31st, and I trust that the conditions are in place for it not to be extended," according to Rai.
On Friday, the health minister hailed the beginning of “a new phase” for the country as Italy exceeded 90 percent vaccination coverage.
“We’ve got 91 percent of Italians over the age of 12 who have received their first dose of an anti-Covid vaccine, 88 percent who’ve had two doses and have completed the primary cycle, and almost 35 million having had the booster too,” Health Minister Roberto Speranza told reporters.
“This enables us to open a new phase in the fight against Covid,” he said.
“We still have to keep our feet on the ground and remain prudent, but for the first time in many weeks we are looking with confidence at the numbers, which are finally improving”.
For more information about Covid-19 restrictions in Italy please see the Italian health ministry’s website (available in English).
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More announcements about rule changes are expected in the coming days and weeks after Prime Minister Mario Draghi said on Thursday that a “timeline” would be given as the government looks at "even greater reopening of the country".
READ ALSO: Green pass and red zones: How Italy’s latest decree changes the Covid rules
While no further announcements have been made, Italian media reports that incoming rule changes are expected to include an increase in sports stadium capacity - up to at least 75 percent for outdoor facilities and 60 percent for indoor ones.
The Italian green pass system is not expected to be scaled back soon, with some experts including Walter Ricciardi, an advisor to the health minister, maintaining that it must stay in place over summer “at least”.
These rules only remain in force however under the nationwide state of emergency, which creates the conditions for the government to pass new laws urgently by decree.
Italy’s state of emergency is currently set to expire on March 31st, and therefore so are all health measures, including the mask ordinance signed on Tuesday.
Deputy Health Minister Andrea Costa said last week that "the government's objective is that [the state of emergency] not be extended after March 31st, and I trust that the conditions are in place for it not to be extended," according to Rai.
On Friday, the health minister hailed the beginning of “a new phase” for the country as Italy exceeded 90 percent vaccination coverage.
“We’ve got 91 percent of Italians over the age of 12 who have received their first dose of an anti-Covid vaccine, 88 percent who’ve had two doses and have completed the primary cycle, and almost 35 million having had the booster too,” Health Minister Roberto Speranza told reporters.
“This enables us to open a new phase in the fight against Covid,” he said.
“We still have to keep our feet on the ground and remain prudent, but for the first time in many weeks we are looking with confidence at the numbers, which are finally improving”.
For more information about Covid-19 restrictions in Italy please see the Italian health ministry’s website (available in English).
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