Much of the country: Italy will enter the third blockade from Monday

The infection situation is reaching a critical point, the seven-day incidence is more than 220: the Draghi government is once again forced to take drastic measures from the crown. For much of the country, a lockdown will be applied again starting Monday.

Due to another drastic increase in the number of corona infections, Italy will enter the third lockdown starting Monday: “Unfortunately, we are dealing with a new wave of infections,” new Prime Minister Mario Draghi said yesterday when visiting a center for vaccination in Fiumicino at Rome Airport. There were more than 150,000 new infections in a week, an increase of around 20,000 compared to the previous week.

These figures force us to be extremely cautious to limit the number of deaths and avoid overloading health facilities, “Draghi said. The head of the Gimbe research center, Nino Cartabellotta, warned on Thursday that the increase in Covid-Cases in the The last weeks indicate the “beginning of the third wave” of the epidemic in Italy.

Ten regions and autonomous provinces affected

The blockade takes effect on Monday and applies to the four largest cities in the country, among others: Rome, Milan, Naples and Turin. In total, more than 40 million Italians are affected by the closure, which means that two out of three people in Italy will live in the so-called red zone from the beginning of the week.

Public activities there will be largely shut down. All non-essential stores will remain closed, as will schools, bars, restaurants and cultural institutions. No one can leave their own city, visits to friends and family are severely restricted. In total, the blockade will be imposed in ten autonomous regions and provinces, including Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Lazio and Campania.

Relaxation in South Tyrol

In another part of the country, however, there are cautious easing measures. In South Tyrol, children can visit kindergartens and primary schools again from Monday, as announced by the state administration. The reopening of hairdressers and beauty salons is also allowed. A week later, trading can start again.

During Easter, April 3-5, strict restrictions are re-enforced in the popular holiday region, as in the rest of the country. The goal is to become the “yellow zone” after the Easter holidays, and then tackle new flexibilities such as the opening of bars and restaurants, the statement said.

The national incidence rate is 226

The Italian government had already announced a national closure for Easter. With these measures, it is responding to the worsening contagion situation in the country. The national incidence value is now 226, which means that there were an average of 226 new infections per 100,000 people in the last seven days. The number is three times higher than the current value in Germany. According to the National Institute of Health, the number of Covid intensive care patients in Italy is also increasing again, and occupancy in numerous hospitals has exceeded or exceeded the critical limit.

This week, the nationwide mark of 100,000 deaths per crown was surpassed. More recently, the spread of the British Crown mutant has been particularly worrying. There were 26,000 new infections and 373 deaths on Thursday. So far, 1.8 million of the roughly 60 million people in Italy have received both doses of the corona vaccine.