Covid, here are the Regions that change color. Christmas will be without exceptions – Corriere.it

The most tense and complex discussion took place on the curfew. The phrase with which the dem Francesco Boccia during the confrontation-clash with the Regions broke the totem of the Christmas mass (“It is not heresy that the Child Jesus is born two hours before”) unleashed a political controversy. The Minister for Regional Affairs, upset that his “example” was presented “ingeniously” by the League, reminded the center-right governors from Fontana to Spirlì: “The Church cannot be used to lift the curfew. But what? Do you see the death toll? How can he think of easing the measures? It is okay to restart trade, but we cannot risk the third wave in January. “Position that Minister Dario Franceschini strongly supported in the Council of Ministers: “The right wing is exploiting Boccia’s words, if we give up, everything will be skipped and we run the risk of an encore by Ferragosto.”

Therefore, the curfew will remain. The “rigoristas” of the government intend to keep it at 10 at night also for all holidays, without exception, not for Christmas Eve, nor for the last night of the year. “The containment measures have worked, between December 10 and 15 all of Italy will be in the yellow band,” insisted Health Minister Roberto Speranza. If we allowed freedom of movement, the virus would run again and the health system would not hold. So stop the circulation between regions, as requested by Boccia, Franceschini and Gualtieri.. The rigid travel solution, which in the end also convinced Minister Renziana Bellanova, is not to the liking of the Regions and leaves some technicians perplexed: just when surveillance automatically shoots yellow, does the government impose a squeeze? It will take a strong political stance to “block” the “different Christmas” envisioned by the government with rules.

LThe path taken by the government aims to confirm the curfew at 10 pm (but until 6 am) for the entire duration of the vacation. The knot of Christmas and New Year’s Eve remains, which may be solved in the next few hours, but for now we exclude loosening precisely because “we want to avoid night shifts and possible gatherings that may be created on festive nights.” And for that reason it will be recommended to spend them “with close relatives and protecting the elderly and frail.” If this system is confirmed at the time of signing the Dpcm in force as of December 4, the stores could remain open until 9:00 p.m., while it is planned to authorize the opening of shopping centers and department stores on Saturdays, Sundays and on days holidays that precede the Christmas holidays “to encourage commercial activities.” At the moment no exception has been provided for restaurants that must close at 6 pm in the yellow areas and will remain closed all day in the orange and red areas where only take-out and home delivery will be allowed. Closed throughout Italy at Christmas and San Esteban. The ban on organizing parties in public and private places will be confirmed. So far it has been recommended to receive a maximum of six people at home and it is not excluded that we decide to reiterate this suggestion: no obligation can be imposed on private homes.

Movements prohibited between regions

It will be forbidden to move between the regions even if they are in the yellow band. This is the government’s drastic choice, although it will be necessary to establish from what date to detonate this decided limitation, the ministers repeat, “to prevent millions of people from traveling on vacation, as happened last summer.” You will always be allowed to return home. A heated debate about the advisability of granting some exemptions to authorize trips, which still need to be justified with self-certification, to spend the holidays with family. Some ministers insist on making it possible to reach people in need, for example older people living alone. But the “hard” wing of the executive, worried about the risk of the third wave in January, is fighting not to open the exceptions chapter. Except in the case of students returning home. The closure of slopes and lifts is confirmed. You can only go to second homes if they are in the same region of residence, which however must be in the yellow band. In fact, in the red zones all movements are prohibited and in the oranges it is prohibited to leave the municipality itself. For those returning from abroad, the hyssop will be mandatory and the quarantine will be activated: it has not yet been decided whether for all countries or only for some. In this case, the list will be updated by the Minister of Health and will surely contain those states such as Austria and perhaps Switzerland that decide to keep the ski slopes open, thus becoming the preferred destinations of many Italians.

Masses without gatherings

Parishes will decide what time to celebrate Mass on Christmas Eve based on the provisions contained in the Dpcm on curfew. And they will do so taking into account the time you are expected to return home. But not only. Because the government will ask to hold more functions during the holidays precisely to avoid meetings inside and outside the churches. The Holy See has already specified that for years the religious function of December 24 is celebrated at 10 p.m. and this seems to clear the field on the tradition that instead wants mass at 24. Vincenzo Corrado, spokesman for the CEI, clarified yesterday: “We will monitor the epidemiological situation and discuss how to celebrate the Christmas rites in safe conditions, in full compliance with the regulations, as has happened until now. It is our desire to continue the valid collaboration, in mutual listening, with the Prime Minister, the Ministry of the Interior and the CTS. ”In the days of possible greater agglomeration, the parish priests will be asked to verify strict compliance with the protocols already in force that provide for the obligation of masks, the distancing of the faithful, the emptying of the batteries of holy water, the disinfectant dispensers at the entrances, the presence of the singers, provided they maintain a lateral interpersonal distance of at least 1 meter and at least 2 meters between any row of the choir and the other subjects present.

High schools closed until January 7

High schools are closed until January 7. Until that date, high school students will follow the lessons with the distance education system. On the other hand, middle schools, elementary schools, kindergartens and kindergartens in the yellow zones remain open, in the regions that are in the orange strip, schools will be open until the eighth grade, so with exactly the same rules as the Yellow stripe. In the red band regions, the second and third averages are also closed. The rule will be confirmed throughout Italy that “leaves without prejudice to the possibility of carrying out activities in the presence if it is necessary to use laboratories or to maintain an educational relationship that achieves the effective school inclusion of students with disabilities and special educational needs.” It will also confirm “the suspension of the periodicity of the training and curricular activities of the universities and institutions of high artistic, musical and dance training, without prejudice in any case to the continuation of said activities at a distance”. The government’s decision to keep children at home was motivated by the need to limit the use of public transport and above all by the number of infections in classrooms both among students and among teachers and school staff. A position that, however, has not been confirmed by some members of the Scientific Technical Committee and in particular by the coordinator Agostino Miozzo, who insists on the need to return children to classrooms because they are too penalized.