Italy will tighten restriction measures against the coronavirus in most parts of the country on Monday, with Sardinia as a notable exception given the decline in cases on the island.
In the southern regions of Molise and Basilicata a total blockade will come into force, while further north, in the Marche, as well as in the far northern regions of Lombardy and Piedmont, moderately strict rules will apply, according to a directive signed by Health Minister Roberto Speranza, picked up by ‘La Repubblica’.
Meanwhile, Sardinia has experienced a consistently low number of infections, which means that the island can lift the restrictions imposed by the national government and decide locally.
If that happens, it would be the first time a region has fallen into that category, recording an incidence rate of less than 50 infections per 100,000 inhabitants three weeks in a row.
Meanwhile, the new government of Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi is developing a new decree on the coronavirus, and it is expected to take effect on March 6 for a month.
The Minister of Culture, Dario Franceschini, had hinted at the possibility of reopening cinemas and theaters as of March 27, with a new set of proposals delivered to the Ministry of Health.
The plan was to open as soon as possible, since culture was “the real engine of recovery,” according to Franceschini. However, health expert Giovanni Rezza has warned that infections were spreading in schools and called for maintaining the closures.
Meanwhile, the nationwide incidence rate has risen to 145 cases per 100,000 people between Feb. 15 and Feb. 21 in the country, which has recorded more than 2.8 million coronavirus infections and more than 97,000 related deaths.
