Italy announced on Saturday that it is tightening restrictions in five of the country’s 20 regions to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Driving the news: The announcement comes as health experts and scientists warn of the more transmissible coronavirus variants, Reuters said.
The state of affairs: For the first time since the end of January, two regions – Basilicata and Molise – have been placed in the country’s red zone, the strictest layer of Italy’s color-coded system.
- All bars, restaurants and non-essential businesses will have to close and traffic will be severely restricted.
- The levels (white, yellow, orange, and red) are based on infection levels and other factors.
- In Lombardy, Marche and Piemonte, which were moved from the yellow to the orange zone, restaurants and bars have to close, except for the execution. Residents are also not allowed to leave their city, except in emergency situations or for health and work reasons.
- Yes but: The island of Sardinia became the first region to move into the minimally restrictive white zone, according to Reuters.
What they say: “Many outbreaks are due to the (new) variants. I am concerned about the progress of the epidemic, ”Gianni Rezza, a senior adviser to the Department of Health, said per Reuters.
- “We have to remain vigilant and we have to act quickly and forcefully where necessary,” added Rezza.
The big picture: Earlier this week, the country extended a ban on non-essential travel between the regions to at least March 27, according to Reuters.
- Italy started its vaccination campaign last year and has administered more than 4.2 million doses of the vaccine to date. More than 1.3 million people have been fully vaccinated.
- According to data from the Ministry of Health, the country registered 20,499 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, down from 19,886 the day before.
- More than 2.9 million cases and 97,500 deaths have been reported in Italy since the start of the pandemic.