"Clearly if the gradual reopening is interpreted as a 'free-for-all', a new surge in infections risks compromising the summer season," warned Nino Cartabellotta, head of the GIMBE Foundation health think tank. The vaccination programme is gaining pace with more than 17.5 million jabs administered so far in a population of around 60 million, but there are disparities between regions. He has admitted to taking a "calculated risk", as infection rates and intensive care admissions fall but deaths still mount at more than 300 every day to more than 119,000. Prime Minister Mario Draghi has been under intense pressure from regional governments and increasingly regular street protests to ease restrictions, as Italy battles its deepest recession since World War II. we can soon reopen inside as well," he told AFP, adding: "It's the start of a return to normality."Ĭinemas, theatres and concert halls can also open at 50-percent capacity, followed by the staggered opening of swimming pools, gyms, sporting events and theme parks by July 1. "Finally!" said Daniele Vespa, the 26-year-old head waiter at Baccano, a restaurant near Rome's Trevi Fountain, as he made preparations for the return of customers. Three-quarters of regions will drop into the low-risk "yellow" categories from Monday, with bars and restaurants permitted to restart table service outside - including, for the first time in six months, in the evening, although a 10:00 pm curfew remains in place. The country ranks sixth highest in the world for coronavirus fatalities, with 101,184 deaths recorded, according to JHU.After months of stop-start restrictions imposed to manage its second and third waves of Covid-19, Italy hopes this latest easing will mark the start of something like a normal summer. Italy, once the epicenter of COVID-19 in Europe, has marked 3,149,017 COVID-19 cases in total. Only 3.08% (1,861,852 people) of Italy's eligible population has been fully vaccinated so far, with 6,219,849 doses administered, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University (JHU). On Saturday, Italy's new COVID-19 commissioner Paolo Figliuolo said, "By this summer, all Italian adults will be vaccinated," noting that the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, which is expected to be the next coronavirus vaccine authorized by the EU, will be "decisive." "Whatever the final decision of the EMA, I can assure you that the vaccination campaign will continue with renewed intensity," Draghi continued. "There is currently no indication that vaccination has caused these conditions, which are not listed as side effects with this vaccine," the EMA said in a statement on Thursday. The European drugs regulator said the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine outweigh the risks, and did not recommend suspending use. Meanwhile, some European nations have completely paused their AstraZeneca rollout while the EMA investigation continues. The health ministry said that the aim of the measures is to get the R rate - the number of people that one infected person will pass the virus onto - down to 1.ĭraghi added that "the opinion of AIFA, shared by scientists, is that there is no evidence that these events are related to the administration of the vaccine," he added. Regions that report weekly COVID-19 cases of more than 250 per 100,000 residents will also automatically go into lockdown, meaning that other regions could also be affected during this time period. In "orange zones," people will also be banned from leaving their town and their region - except for work or health reasons - and bars and restaurants will only be able to do delivery and take-away service.Īffected regions will be labelled red or orange, depending on the level of contagion. In regions demarcated as "red zones" people will be unable to leave their houses except for work or health reasons, with all non-essential shops closed. The measures will be effective through April 6, according to a decree passed by Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi's cabinet on Friday. Half of Italy's 20 regions, which include the cities Rome, Milan and Venice, will be entering new coronavirus restrictions from Monday, March 15. ROME - Italy is facing another lockdown, as the government attempts to contain a recent surge of coronavirus cases, marred by the presence of new variants. With Italy on the brink of a new lockdown and Germany's top disease expert warning of a third wave, recent infection spikes in Europe are driven by worrying new COVID variants.
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