reinforced yellow zone on weekdays and orange on holidays

The decree law that the government intends to implement tonight, January 4, provides for a reinforced yellow zone on weekdays, or with the prohibition of movement between regions but with the confirmation of the repeal that provides for the possibility of two people moving to other. housing within the region and orange zone on weekends. The draft will be the object of the council of ministers convened for tonight at 9:00 p.m. and will be in force until January 15, when a new decree law and -perhaps- a new Dpcm will change the restrictions throughout Italy.

Decree law January 4: reinforced yellow zone on weekdays and orange on public holidays

According to the Dire news agency, the decree law will be accompanied by an ordinance from the Ministry of Health, while the Regional Affairs Minister, Francesco Boccia, has announced that the lowering of the Rt contagion rate threshold should be present in the text. one of the indicators that triggers the positioning of the regions in the different bands and that will be in force as of Monday 11, while for January 8 the report of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità and the Ministry of Health is scheduled, which will update the RT all over Italy: this way some regions will find themselves in the orange zone (or red, but it is less likely) with a new ministry ordinance.

The decree that enters the council of ministers tonight confirms the prohibition of moving between regions from January 7 until the 15th. On holidays and before holidays of the same period, the measures will be further toughened: that is, the prohibition of leaving municipalities, excluding traffic from municipalities with a population of less than 5,000 inhabitants and with a route not exceeding 30 kilometers. The text of the draft decree reported by the Dire news agency says:

“From January 7 to 15, 2021, any movement in and out between the territories of different regions or autonomous provinces is prohibited within the national territory, except movements motivated by proven labor needs or situations of need or for health reasons. If this is the case, it is possible to return to one’s own residence, domicile or domicile, excluding trips to second residences located in another region or autonomous province.

It is allowed to move to a single private home once a day, in a period of time between 5 and 22, and within the limits of two more people with respect to those who already live there, on children under 14 years of age in whom you are people exercise parental authority and disabled or non-self-sufficient people who live together.

On holidays and days before holidays between January 7 and 15, 2021, the measures referred to in article 2 of the decree of the President of the Council of Ministers of December 3, 2020 are applied throughout the country, but are allow travel from populated municipalities. no more than 5,000 inhabitants and for a distance of no more than thirty kilometers from the relative borders, excluding in any case the trips from the provincial capitals.

The Ansa news agency adds that article 2 of the decree, instead, lowers the thresholds that activate the orange or red zone: if a region is in scenario 2, therefore, with an Rt of 1 to 1.25, it ends in the orange zone. ; if it is in a scenario 3 with Rt from 1.25 to 1.50 it ends up in the red zone, but only if “in the territory there is an incidence of infections greater than 50 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants”. This parameter was introduced to prevent regions with low viral circulation ending up in orange due to a single episode of Rt increase. However, the new band system will start from Monday the 11th: on Friday the monitoring of the Higher Institute of Health and based on the updated data, the ordinances of the Minister of Health Roberto Speranza for the attribution of colors to the regions will be initiated.

The draft of Dl January 4: that changes between the “reinforced” yellow zone and the orange zone

With the new regulations, the possibility of returning to one’s residence or domicile is always allowed. Displacements to second homes located in another autonomous community or autonomous province are excluded. It has also been confirmed the possibility of moving to a private home in the region, once a day between 5 and 22 hours. On holidays and days before holidays “the measures referred to in article 2 of the decree of the President of the Council of Ministers December 3, 2020”, or the regulations in force for orange areas. Therefore, the new decree law will have:

• a restriction on travel between regions in the reinforced yellow zone;
• the exemption for two people plus those under 14 years of age and people with disabilities to move only once a day to another home, respecting the curfew;
• the proclamation of the orange zone on the weekend: this means that restaurants and bars will not be able to open (or rather: they will only be able to take out and deliver to home) while all other stores will remain open during non-extended hours such as during holidays .

In the afternoon, the hypothesis circulated that it was an ordinance of the Ministry of Health that established the new regulations for the period from January 7 to 15. Therefore, the new calendar of restrictions from January 7 to 15 foresees:

• January 5 and 6 will be the last two days in the red zone throughout Italy: stores closed except for basic needs, prohibition to leave home except for work, health or necessity reasons and urgency that is justified by self-certification, touch of It remains from 10 pm to 5 am, only one visit per day (maximum two guests);
• On January 7 and 8, Italy will be in the “reinforced” yellow zone: reopening of activities and all shops (with restaurants and bars closed after 6 pm), 50% of high school students return to the school;
• On January 9 and 10, Italy will be in the orange zone: possibility of moving within the municipality itself but not between one municipality and another and outside the region itself, shops open except bars and restaurants (however ‘take away food and delivery at home), curfew from 10 pm to 5 am, only one visit per day (maximum two guests);
• as of January 11, the system of red, orange and yellow zones would come into force in the regions (at risk of the orange or red zone are Veneto, Liguria, Calabria and perhaps also Lombardy, Puglia and Basilicata);

The restrictions on the freedom of movement of citizens of the orange zone, which would come into effect on the weekend of January 9 and 10, establish that:

• You can move freely within your municipality from 5 to 22 hours;
• You can travel outside your municipality to visit family and friends, but always within your own region.
• you cannot leave your region;
• It is possible to travel outside the municipalities with a population of no more than 5,000 inhabitants, traveling a distance of no more than 30 kilometers and without going to the provincial capital;

As for the stores in the orange zone:

• the bars and restaurants are open exclusively for the sale of take-out food until 6:00 p.m. and for home delivery, which in any case must be carried out in accordance with the regulations on packaging and delivery of products;
• In the areas or moments in which the consumption of food and beverages is suspended within the premises, the entry and stay in it by customers is allowed only for the time strictly necessary to acquire the products to take away and always in the compliance with contagion prevention measures. In any case, gatherings or consumption near the premises are not allowed;
• Only the food and beverage outlets located in the service and refueling areas of the highways, hospitals and airports can remain open after 6:00 p.m., with the obligation to guarantee in any case that the interpersonal distance of at least one meter;
• The hotel restaurants are open to guests staying there, just like in the red light district. Therefore, catering is allowed (without a time limit) only within the hotel or accommodation where you are staying. If there is no such service within their hotel or accommodation, the client can use a take away or home delivery service (possibly organized by the hotel), within the time limits allowed, with consumption in the hotel;

There are no restrictions on the categories of tradable goods. On holidays and the eve of holidays, commercial establishments within shopping centers and markets are closed, with the exception of pharmacies, parapharmacies, health centers, food points, tobacconists and kiosks.

What changes with the contagion index: the ten regions at risk as of January 11

But why does the minister try to lower the thresholds of the contagion index? According to the latest report from the Istituto Superiore di Sanità and the Ministry of Health, the Rt index in Italy stood at 0.93, which is just below the threshold of 1 (but according to the University of Trento physicist Roberto Battiston meanwhile has reached 0.99). According to the criteria established with the launch of the zone system, all of Italy is currently in the yellow zone because one of the criteria is that the RT is above 1.25 to activate the orange zone. The table showing timely RT indicators for December 21-27 updated to 29 showed these numbers.

• Abruzzo: 0.65
• Basilicata: 1.09
• Calabria: 1.09
• Campania: 0.78
• Emilia-Romagna: 0.98
• Friuli-Venezia Giulia: 0.96
• Straight: 0.84
• Liguria: 1.07
• Lombardy: 1
• Walk: 0.99
• Molise: 0.89
• Piedmont: 0.71
• PA Bolzano: 0.76
• PA Trento: 0.71
• Apulia: 1
• Sardinia: 0.78 (not assessable)
• Sicily: 0.93
• Tuscany: 0.79
• Umbria 0.8
• Aosta Valley: 0.83

The government’s intention is to change the parameter (which is not the only one that decrees the red, orange or yellow zone in the regions). Repubblica writes today that the control room closed its meeting recommending that “in situations where the incidence is greater than 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants per week, further strengthen mitigation measures already when Rt values ​​equal to 1, when the risk of an uncontrolled or manageable outbreak is classified as moderate or high. ” With these parameters, based on the tracking numbers for the week of December 21-27, the orange zone immediately endangers Veneto, Liguria, Calabria, Lombardy, Basilicata and Puglia. But, explain today Republic, there are four other regions on the balance sheet: Emilia-Romagna, Sicilia, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Marche.