Italy will again be blocked by the corona virus for much of the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced the latest shutdown on Friday after days of debate about how the government can prevent another wave of cases, Reuters reported.
“The situation is difficult across Europe. The virus continues to circulate everywhere, ”Conte told reporters. “Our experts were deeply concerned that there would be a jump in the cases at Christmas. … We therefore had to act, but I can assure you it was not an easy decision. “
Under the new rules, non-essential stores will be closed December 24-27, December 31-January 3 and January 5 and 6. On those days Italians are only allowed to travel for work, health or emergencies. Limited visits are allowed, for example to see single elderly parents.
Conte called on Italians to act responsibly, but claimed the police would not be sent to homes to see if residents were following the rules.
Stores can open December 28-30 and January 4, and people can leave their homes on those days. However, all bars and restaurants should remain closed.
Conte said the launch of the vaccination program later this month would mark the beginning of “the end of this nightmare,” the BBC reported.
Elsewhere in Europe, the Netherlands and Germany also have lockdowns until January. Austria will close after Christmas and Sweden is tightening restrictions, including making face masks mandatory on public transport and reducing the capacity of restaurants.
Italy was the first Western country to be severely affected by the virus in February. On Friday, the COVID-19 death toll in the country was 67,894 – the highest in Europe.
Italy has already curtailed shopping and activity since the number of cases started to increase again in October.
Last month, Pope Francis canceled or changed most of the Christmas activities, including a wreath blessing ceremony at the Spanish Steps that traditionally marks the start of Advent.