Italy will be under another coronavirus blockage for much of the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced the last stop on Friday after days of debate over how the government could hinder a further rise in cases, Reuters reported.
“The situation is difficult in Europe. The virus continues to circulate everywhere, “Conte told reporters.” Our experts were seriously concerned that there would be a jump in cases for Christmas. … So we had to act, but I can assure you that was not an easy decision. “
Under the new rules, non-essential stores will be closed from 24 to 27 December, from 31 to 3 January and from 5 to 6 January. These days, Italians will only be able to travel for work, health or emergency reasons. . Limited visits will be allowed, for example, to see elderly parents living alone.
Conte asked Italians to act responsibly, but said police would not be sent to homes to see if residents followed the rules.
Shops can open December 28-30 and January 4 and people can leave home these days. However, all bars and restaurants must remain closed.
Conte said the launch of the vaccination campaign 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 closures until January. Austria is expected to close after Christmas and Sweden will tighten restrictions, including the need for face masks on public transport and reduced restaurant capacity.
Italy was the first Western country to be hit hard by the virus in February. As of Friday, the number of deaths in the country COVID-19 was 67,894, the highest in Europe.
Italy has had a brake and frequency on shopping and activities since cases began to rise again in October.
Last month, Pope Francis canceled or modified most of his Christmas activities, including a wreath blessing ceremony in the Spanish Steps that traditionally marks the beginning of Advent.