New Lockdown Restrictions in Italy

On my last post, I promised to let everyone know what the new lockdown restrictions are here in Italy.

The current numbers in Italy are horrifying. As of this morning, there were 53,578 cases, 4825 deaths, and 6072 recovered. Having said that, it was reported on the Euractivwebsite that:

The mayor of the most badly affected city, Bergamo in the affluent northern region of Lombardy, said the true number of fatalities from the pandemic in his area was four times higher than was officially reported so far.

“Many of the elderly are dying in their houses or in old people’s homes, without anyone testing them either before or after they die,” Giorgio Gori told the Huffington Post.

He added that a dozen mayors of other cities had confirmed the same thing to him.

 

As a result, there are new restrictions/measures that were announced by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.

• all people must self isolate, and if they must go outside they must stay at least one metre apart.
• there are only a few acceptable reasons for being outside – going to get groceries or medicines, going to work
• there can be no gatherings of people, including no funerals, weddings, baptisms, church services, sporting events, etc.
• all businesses other than grocery stores, pharmacies, and tobacco shops (where you pay your bills) must be closed.
• only one member of a household is allowed to go out at a time.
• we were allowed to go for walks or to exercise on our own, however that has been revoked.
• the military is now patrolling some of the larger cities in the north.
• police are patrolling all cities, towns, and villages and travel between towns is prohibited except for essential work.
• fines and even jail terms are being handed out to people who break the restrictions.

Having said all of this, the rules are a little unclear.  If you look up the rules of the lockdown online, you will find conflicting information, sometimes in the same article.  However, what I can give you that is a very clear video that explains COVID-19.  It’s a bit long but well worth the time.