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REGIONS

‘No strolling’ in Venice as Italian regions tighten local Covid-19 rules

Three northern Italian regions plan to forbid strolls in crowded city centres, including Venice, Bologna and Trieste, as they take stricter new measures against the spread of Covid-19.

'No strolling' in Venice as Italian regions tighten local Covid-19 rules
Strolling in the centre of Venice and other northern cities is set to be temporarily banned. Photo: Miguel Medina/AFP

Veneto, Emilia-Romagna and Friuli-Venezia Giulia will introduce new regional ordinances urging residents to avoid exercising or simply strolling on the streets of their town centres as part of efforts to avoid crowding and further transmission of the coronavirus.

READ ALSO: ‘No plan, just hope’: How is Italy going to get the second wave under control?

All three regions have opted to tighten local rules despite being classed as 'yellow zones', the lowest of three risk levels under the Italian government's tier system.

The added restrictions are the equivalent of “yellow plus”, said Veneto's regional governor Luca Zaia.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, he announced that the new rules would come into force from November 14th until December 3rd.

They will include:
  • No exercising or strolling in city centres, crowded areas or beachfronts;
  • Bars and restaurants to become table service-only from 3 to 6pm; 
  • Weekly street markets are cancelled, unless they have a detailed safety plan in place;
  • Shopping centres and outlets to close on weekends and all shops to close on Sundays, except for those selling essential supplies like supermarkets or pharmacies;
  • Only one person per household will be allowed to enter a shop at a time, except for parents accompanying children or people who need assistance;
  • Supermarkets are advised to reserve their first two hours of opening for shoppers aged over 65; 
  • In schools, sports lessons, singing and playing wind instruments are suspended. 

Emilia-Romagna and Friuli-Venezia Giulia will apply similar restrictions at the same time, their governors said.

Until the text of the new ordinances is published, it's unclear whether unauthorised strolling in one of the three regions will earn you a fine or simply a reprimand.

“We don't want to give fines, but shared rules that everyone respects,” said the governor of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Massimiliano Fedriga.

Exercise is still allowed, but residents are urged to find an isolated area to go for a walk or run. Meanwhile they can still access city centres for a valid reason, such as to go to work, go shopping or visit a restaurant.

The new restrictions come on top of baseline national regulations that have already closed high schools, museums, cinema and theatres, set a curfew from 10pm and ordered bars and restaurants to close at 6pm. 

Regions designated orange (medium-high risk) or red (high risk) have tougher limits in place, closing bars and restaurants to the public and banning travel between towns or outside the region.

The classification, which is based on a complex assessment of each region's epidemiological situation and the resilience of its health service, has proven controversial, with some of the regions currently reporting thousands of new infections per day – including Campania and Lazio – remaining yellow while regions with lower numbers are classed red or orange.

READ ALSO: How does Italy decide which regions are Covid-19 red zones?

The Health Ministry reevaluates the classification every few days, and it's rumoured that Veneto, Emilia-Romagna and Friuli-Venezia Giulia – as well as Campania – are all on its watchlist.

The three regions' joint ordinances are an effort to head off even tighter restrictions that could be ordered by the national government.

“It's better to make a few sacrifices today than find ourselves a red zone tomorrow,” said Zaia.

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HEALTH

Covid-19 still causing 1,000 deaths a week in Europe, WHO warns

The World Health Organization's European office warned on Tuesday the risk of Covid-19 has not gone away, saying it was still responsible for nearly 1,000 deaths a week in the region. And the real figure may be much higher.

Covid-19 still causing 1,000 deaths a week in Europe, WHO warns

The global health body on May 5 announced that the Covid-19 pandemic was no longer deemed a “global health emergency.”

“Whilst it may not be a global public health emergency, however, Covid-19 has not gone away,” WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge told reporters.

The WHO’s European region comprises 53 countries, including several in central Asia.

“Close to 1,000 new Covid-19 deaths continue to occur across the region every week, and this is an underestimate due to a drop in countries regularly reporting Covid-19 deaths to WHO,” Kluge added, and urged authorities to ensure vaccination coverage of at least 70 percent for vulnerable groups.

Kluge also said estimates showed that one in 30, or some 36 million people, in the region had experienced so called “long Covid” in the last three years, which “remains a complex condition we still know very little about.”

“Unless we develop comprehensive diagnostics and treatment for long Covid, we will never truly recover from the pandemic,” Kluge said, encouraging more research in the area which he called an under-recognised condition.

Most countries in Europe have dropped all Covid safety restrictions but some face mask rules remain in place in certain countries in places like hospitals.

Although Spain announced this week that face masks will no longer be required in certain healthcare settings, including hospitals and pharmacies, with a couple of exceptions.

Sweden will from July 1st remove some of its remaining Covid recommendations for the public, including advice to stay home and avoid close contact with others if you’re ill or have Covid symptoms.

The health body also urged vigilance in the face of a resurgence of mpox, having recorded 22 new cases across the region in May, and the health impact of heat waves.

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