Roundup: Tight anti-virus restrictions remain in place in Italy after holiday season

2021-01-05 15:35:46 GMT2021-01-05 23:35:46(Beijing Time) Xinhua English

ROME, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Tight anti-coronavirus restrictions will remain in place in Italy at the end of the traditional Christmas-New Year holiday season and until mid-January.

The decision came after a long nightly cabinet meeting, which in the early hours of Tuesday delivered a decree with new rules that will come into force from Jan. 7 to Jan. 15.

For the period, the decree imposes a ban on any travel between regions, but for necessary work, health, or emergency reasons. During the weekend (Jan. 9-10), travels between cities and towns (over 5,000 inhabitants) will also be prohibited.

People's movements will remain restricted, with a maximum of two people allowed to pay one visit at daytime to relatives or friends a day.

Other restrictions already implemented during Christmas time, such as the closure of restaurants and bars but for delivery service, will remain in place.

After Jan. 15, Italy will return to the three-tier system introduced in early November to fight the spread of the coronavirus. This system splits the country into three zones with varied restrictions according to the level of risk: red zone for the highest risk, orange for medium risk, and yellow for low risk.

Finally, after tough talks in the cabinet and between the cabinet and regional authorities, the new decree imposes secondary schools to remain in remote learning at least until Jan. 11.

Since the school system partly falls into a regional power, some regional governors (Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, and Marche) already decided to keep remote learning for secondary pupils in place until Jan. 31.

The new decree will enter into force after the country spent a very sober Christmas and New Year holiday, with a ban on any travel in place since Dec. 21 and a national curfew from 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. (until 7 a.m. on New Year's Eve).

During the season, no particular spike in the pandemic curve was registered, although the number of cases did increase daily.

On Monday, Italy recorded 10,800 new coronavirus cases, which brought the country's total to 2,166,244, according to the latest available data by the Health Ministry.

Active infections dropped by 5,756 to 570,458, recoveries grew by 16,206 to 1,520,106 and the death toll rose by 348 to 75,680.

Vaccination campaigns with various vaccines have kicked off in several countries between the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021, including the European Union (EU) member states, the UK, and China.

So far, 178,939 people have been vaccinated with the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine in Italy, according to data updated early Tuesday by the office of Italy's commissioner for the coronavirus emergency Domenico Arcuri. Enditem

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