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- Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has ordered a nationwide shutdown for the next holiday.
- Explaining that “it was not an easy decision,” Conte told reporters that “experts were seriously concerned that there would be an increase in cases during Christmas.” BBC reported.
- Italy was not the only European country to tighten restrictions during the holidays: the United Kingdom and Germany have announced greater restrictions for coronavirus.
- Visit the Business Insider home page for more stories.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has ordered a nationwide shutdown for the next holiday.
The government is ready to implement “red zone” restrictions, which means that Italians across the country must stay at home except to go to work or for medical or emergency reasons. The rules allow limited home visits, with no more than two adult guests allowed in the homes.
The restrictions will also limit restaurants and bars to delivery-only service and force non-essential stores to close.
The order will apply during the Christmas holidays between December 24 and 27, for the New Year, between December 31 and January 3, and for the Epiphany celebration on January 5 and 6, according to The Guardian and the BBC.
The BBC reported that the rules are less strict between December 28-30 and January 4. These days, Italians can leave their homes.
Explaining that “it was not an easy decision,” Conte told reporters that “experts were seriously concerned that there would be an increase in cases during Christmas,” the BBC reported.
As of Saturday, Italy had recorded more than 1.9 million confirmed coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, with nearly 68,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Last month, Italy saw an increase in daily new coronavirus cases, Business Insider’s Mikhaila Friel reported.
The news came after other European countries took similar precautions ahead of the holidays. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said London will undergo stronger lockdown restrictions starting Sunday and announced that “we cannot continue with Christmas as planned” in the affected region, Business Insider’s Joshua Zitser reported.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel also announced last week that the country would enter a tighter lockdown from Christmas until 2021, Business Insider’s Kevin Shalvey reported.
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