ROME (AP) – Italy entered a three-day nationwide blocking of the coronavirus on Saturday to deter travel and gatherings over Easter, even as the variant-fueled spike in new infections began to wane.
The government announced last month that it would place all regions in the strictest “red zone” over Easter weekend to reduce the risk of contamination, taking the same precautions as during Christmas and New Year.
Travel between regions and visits to relatives were limited through Monday. Non-essential stores were closed and restaurants and bars were only open for take out.
“People are tired, but they are aware that protecting health is essential in these times,” said Major Fabio Palletta, a Carabinieri military policeman who manned a checkpoint in Rome on Saturday, one of many who this weekend. land was set up to ensure people were allowed to travel on the roads.
The Interior Ministry also ordered additional police foot patrols to break up large gatherings in squares and parks, which are usually packed with picnic goers during Easter.
‘I am happy that they are carrying out checks. It means that something is working in this whole mess, ”said Amato Monatanari, who was held for scrutiny in Rome.
Italy, where the European outbreak began, has recorded more than 110,000 COVID-19 deaths, more than any other European country except Great Britain. Another 21,000 infections were reported in Italy on Saturday, along with 376 deaths.
An estimated 87% of the latest cases in Italy can be traced back to the highly contagious variant first discovered in Britain. But the Health Ministry reported on Friday that for the second week in a row, the number of new cases had “ slightly declined. ”
But because Italian hospitals in most regions have still far exceeded their COVID-19 capacity in both intensive care units and other units, the ministry concluded that the new infections were still “too high … to allow for any reduction in enable current restrictive measures. “
However, Italians are angry at the country’s stumbling vaccination campaign, which, despite its promise to give priority to older people, has left many of Italy’s oldest, most vulnerable people behind, while teachers, police officers and other professional workers get their shot .
The Lombardy region, the largest in Italy, has suffered more COVID-19 infections and deaths than any other, but still has a faltering vaccination campaign, which received a personal visit this week from Italy’s new virus tsar, General Francesco Figliuolo.
“There are things that are not going well,” Figliuolo said. “We write them down, and then we fix them together.”
More than three months after Italy’s nationwide vaccination campaign, Lombardy this week opened a new centralized appointment portal after the previous system sent some elderly people hundreds of miles from home to receive an injection and others were unable to book an appointment.
Lombardy regional governor Attilio Fontana acknowledged “some difficulties” but insisted that these had not affected the overall vaccination campaign. He said the criticism of the regional effort was “nauseating”.
Italy has administered 10.8 million vaccines nationwide, although only 3.3 million of the country’s 60 million residents have received both doses. Lombardy, which has one sixth of the population and has long been proud of its healthcare, has administered 1.7 million doses.
On Saturday, a church in Sicily temporarily opened its doors to become a pop-up vaccination center.
“For Christians celebrating Easter, today means being a good and honest citizen,” said Pastor Michele Viviano, pastor of Don Bosco’s Salesian parish in San Gregorio di Catania, Sicily.
“This also means participating in, participating in and organizing the vaccination campaign,” he said.
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