The Italians took advantage of the last weekend outdoors, before three-quarters of the population entered a strict block on Monday, when the government implemented restrictive measures to combat the increase in coronavirus infections.
A more contagious variant first identified in Britain, combined with a slow release of the vaccine, led to a 15% increase in cases in Italy last week.
“I am aware that today’s measures will have an impact on the education of children, on the economy, but also on the psychological state of us all,” said Prime Minister Mario Draghi on Friday. “But they are necessary to avoid an aggravation that will make even more severe measures inevitable.”
Most regions in northern Italy, as well as Lazio and Marche in central Italy and Campania and Puglia in the south, will close schools and prohibit residents from leaving their homes, except for reasons of work, health or necessity. Among commercial activities, only supermarkets, pharmacies and a few other stores will be open, while restaurants will be closed.
In the rest of the country, residents will not be allowed to leave their municipality, except for some reasons, but schools and many stores will remain open.
“We believe that only with generalized vaccinations will we be able to avoid measures like these,” added Draghi.
Less than two million people in the country have been fully vaccinated so far, partly because of late deliveries from pharmaceutical companies, but also because of logistical problems in some regions. Italy, a country with about 60 million inhabitants, is one of the most affected countries in the world: more than 3.2 million people have contracted the virus, of which more than 100,000 have died.
Last Saturday, the government said it intended to vaccinate at least 80% of the population by September. The plan, designed by an army general chosen by Draghi for his experience in logistics, provided for the administration of up to 500,000 doses per day and also the hiring of doctors and dentists to administer the injections in a variety of facilities, such as military barracks, production websites, schools and gyms.
According to a government document, vaccination capacity is expected to increase in the coming months. Deliveries are expected to increase from 15.7 million doses in the first quarter to 52.5 million from April to June, reaching almost 85 million in the third quarter. After canceling or limiting supply for weeks, Pfizer-BioNTech is expected to increase deliveries in the near future, while AstraZeneca is still planning a slower distribution of vaccines to Italy. The Piedmont region, however, suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Sunday, a precautionary measure pending investigations into the risk of blood clots.
The entire country will be blocked for the Easter weekend early next month to avoid the usual large family gatherings. As with restrictions at Christmas, people will still be able to leave the house once a day.
In other news from around the world:
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Spain On Sunday, it marked the first anniversary of the state of emergency that was declared during the early days of the pandemic, amid continuing concerns about the spread of the virus, divergent blocking measures and some protests about its economic impact. Musicians, actors, theater technicians and other cultural professionals held street demonstrations in several Spanish cities to protest the lack of support they say they received from the sector. Since last March, the pandemic has killed more than 72,000 people in Spain – one of the biggest deaths in Europe – according to a New York Times database. But Spain’s numbers have improved since January, prompting some regions to ease restrictions. On Monday, northeastern Catalonia will allow more residents to travel around the region and stores will be able to open again on weekends.
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At the France, Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Sunday that the country must “use all available weapons to avoid a blockade”, asking people to be vaccinated and tested for the virus. The French government has so far rejected pressure from health experts to institute a third national blockade as cases and deaths increase, Reuters reported. The country imposed a 6pm curfew across the country and blockades on weekends in some regions where cases are increasing. On Saturday, the seven-day average of reported cases in France reached 23,273, compared to 18,755 a month ago. “The situation is not improving,” said Castex in an interview on the live broadcast platform Twitch.