Artists in Milan stage a protest over the lack of work caused by lockdown measures
Credit: IMPA
Italy is bracing for a new round of restrictive coronavirus measures to be announced on Monday, amid skyrocketing infection rates and rising social tension.
The health minister, Roberto Speranza, said on Sunday that thanks to “terrifying” new data on infection rates, the country had just two days to approve further restrictions to curb its spread. His remarks led to the phrase “we have 48 hours” trending on Twitter.
The new emergency decree is expected to impose even stricter measures than the one imposed last week, which ordered bars and restaurants to close at 6pm and shut gyms, cinemas and theatres.
Many cities and regions, including Milan, Turin and Naples, which have borne the brunt of Italy’s second wave, have also enacted local curfews, sparking social uprisings by small groups of extremist protesters.
The president, Sergio Mattarella, called for national unity during a visit to a cemetery on Sunday in northern Italy, where thieves recently stole a large bronze cross erected in memory of Covid-19 victims. While the prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, has repeatedly ruled a second nationwide lockdown, he is under pressure to take more drastic action as infection rates continue to rise sharply.
Police and antl-lockdown protesters clash in Rome on Saturday
Credit: MEGA
On Saturday alone, 32,000 new cases were registered, as well as 297 deaths, bringing the total number of deaths from Covid-19 to 38,618. Tensions are running high within the governing coalition about whether to continue face-to-face schooling, and how to reduce crowding on public transport and bottlenecks in the testing system.
An estimated three million people are suspected of violating quarantine rules required when a member of family or other close contact tests positive. Monday’s announcement is widely expected to include some regional travel bans and the blocking of all but essential activities in parts of Lombardy. Regional governors are likely to be given the flexibility to decide new “red zone” areas.
Meanwhile, desperate business owners are finding creative new ways of staying afloat amid curfews and capacity limits. In the gastronomic capital of Bologna, lunch has become the new dinner, with restaurants shifting opening hours to daytime and offering take-out and delivery at night.
Coronavirus Italy Spotlight Chart – deaths default
Faced with just half the tables and sharply reduced hours, the owners of the 20 seat-restaurant “Vagh in Ufezzi” in Bologna has started charging 10 Euros (£9) every half hour between 12 and 6 pm instead of charging per dish.
The idea harkened back to the 1900s, when some eateries offered hourly meals of pasta and beans with prices based on time spent, not amount eaten. The price does not include alcohol or coffee.
“We could no longer cover our costs, so we needed to find a solution to survive this critical moment without doubling our prices,” said Antonella De Sanctis, who runs the restaurant. “With these new restrictions, time has become more valuable to everyone.”
Even the most creative solutions may be in vain if the government presses ahead with a total lockdown before Christmas. Advisors to Mr Conte have said it cannot be ruled out, given fears that up to 15 regions could exceed critical levels for available hospital beds over coming weeks.
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