The new dpcm has been signed: curfew at 22:00 across Italy, with other measures applied on a regional basis. In red zones, a ban on movement and closed premises.
The new government dpcm has arrived — the third in two weeks — introducing new restrictions to counter the spread of coronavirus in Italy: Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte signed it in the night between 3 and 4 November, but all the new measures — the government announced during the day — will come into force only from Friday 6 November, "to allow everyone sufficient time to organise their activities".
This time, however, the new measures are modulated no longer solely on a national basis, but on a regional basis, in an attempt to intervene in a targeted and proportionate manner according to the degree of criticality present in each individual territory. Lombardy, Piedmont, Calabria and Valle d'Aosta have been deemed the most critical regions, placed in the red zone; Sicily and Puglia are in the orange zone, with an intermediate level of risk. All other regions not considered particularly at risk according to the criteria established by the government's Comitato tecnico-scientifico, and defined as yellow zone regions (in theory a green zone also exists, indicating no danger, but at present no region falls within it), are subject only to the following new restrictions, which are added to those already in force:
The assignment of each region to one of the different zones falls to the Comitato tecnico-scientifico, and not to the individual regions, while the Minister of Health, Roberto Speranza, will have to assess the evolving situation region by region every week; in any case, the measures taken each time have a minimum duration of 15 days, until 3 December, the expiry date of the dpcm.
The regions subject to what the Cts calls a type 3 scenario, also known as orange regions (a situation of sustained and widespread transmission with risks to the resilience of the healthcare system in the medium term, with regional transmission values systematically and significantly between 1.25 and 1.5), in this first phase are Puglia and Sicily: distance learning is extended to 100 per cent for secondary and middle schools, while in-person teaching continues for nurseries and primary schools, and movement between different municipalities is not permitted. Retail commercial activities remain open, but on-site catering activities are suspended (including bars, pubs, restaurants, gelaterie and pastry shops). Only home delivery is permitted, as well as takeaway until 22:00, with a ban on consumption on the premises or in the surrounding area.
In regions with a type 4 scenario — namely Lombardy, Piedmont, Calabria and Valle d'Aosta, also defined as red regions (a situation of uncontrolled transmission with critical strain on the healthcare system in the short term, with regional Rt values systematically and significantly above 1.5) — full lockdowns similar to the national one last spring may be imposed, complete with self-certification for permitted movements, for reasons of work, health and to do food shopping. In these regions, in-person teaching in schools is completely suspended, except for early childhood education services and support for children with disabilities, and of course movement to another municipality is not permitted.
All commercial activities remain closed, with the exception of supermarkets, food shops, newsagents, tobacconists, pharmacies and parapharmacies. Outdoor physical activity remains permitted, provided distances are observed. Employers must encourage remote working as much as possible.
