Italy Declares 'COVID-19 Emergency'... Restrictions on Restaurants and Pubs Operations

Wedding and Funeral Attendance Limited to 30 People
COVID-19 Cases Remain Above 4,000 Without Decline

On the 14th of last month (local time), students lined up to have their temperatures checked as they arrived at Barico Elementary School in Torino, Italy. Many primary schools across Italy had been closed simultaneously since March 5 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and on this day, six months later, they reopened and resumed in-person classes. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Minwoo Lee] The Italian government is implementing additional measures to curb the resurgence of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), including restricting the nighttime operating hours of restaurants and pubs.

According to Bloomberg and others on the 13th (local time), Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte signed an administrative order regarding COVID-19 containing these measures. Accordingly, all parties held outdoors and indoors are prohibited. Dinner or gatherings inviting more than six external guests should also be refrained from. Even inside homes, wearing masks is strongly recommended when with external guests.

The number of attendees at weddings, funerals, and baptisms is limited to within 30 people. Outdoor field trips at frontline schools have been completely suspended.

Restaurants and pubs can operate only until midnight. From 9 p.m., standing while eating or drinking is also prohibited.

Indoor and outdoor banquet halls or nightclubs where many people gather remain closed as before. Entry to sports events such as soccer is restricted. Attendance is limited to within 15% of total seats, with a cap of 1,000 people.

This measure is a follow-up to the full mandatory outdoor mask-wearing implemented last week. It is valid for 30 days and may be extended depending on the COVID-19 situation thereafter.

As of the 12th, Italy reported 4,619 new daily COVID-19 cases and 39 deaths. Although this is lower than the 5,000-level daily new cases recorded over the three days from the 9th to the 11th, the number of daily tests also decreased from about 100,000 to approximately 85,000.

The cumulative confirmed cases and deaths were recorded at 359,569 and 36,205, respectively.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.