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COVID-19 RULES

Covid-19: Italy considers bringing back outdoor mask requirement

The Italian government is considering making it mandatory once again to wear masks outdoors at all times in public, following calls from local authorities for stricter health measures.

People walk in central Milan wearing face masks.
Italy first made masks mandatory in all outdoor public spaces in October 2020 and has since relaxed the rules.  Photo: Miguel Medina/AFP

The government is “reflecting” on whether it needs to tighten the outdoor mask-wearing rules, Health Undersecretary Andrea Costa said in an interview on TV channel Rai1 on Tuesday.

He noted that mask use is already mandatory outdoors in Italy “in cases where gatherings occur,” adding: “I realise there may be a need to emphasise this rule more clearly at such a delicate moment “.

READ ALSO: ‘Get vaccinated’: Italian virologists urge caution over Omicron Covid variant

“We are facing a period in which it is reasonable to think that there will be a greater concentration of people on our streets,” he said.

“Obviously we are reflecting on this and we will assess things over the next few days”.

Regional leaders have called on the government to tighten the rules in recent days as the infection rate continues to rise across Italy and concern rises about the possible impact of the new Omicron variant after cases were detected in the country over the weekend.

Meanwhile, local authorities in several Italian cities have already announced their own outdoor mask mandates.

Turin has made masks compulsory outdoors from December 2nd-January 15th in the historic centre, at markets and in nightlife areas, news agency Ansa reports.

Bergamo has brought in similar rules from November 27th until January 1st, and Bologna too has mandated masks outdoors in the historic centre between November 26th and January 9th.

Children under the age of six are exempt from mask-wearing rules in Italy.

EXPLAINED: How will Italy’s Covid rules change in December?

The region of Friuli Venezia Giulia was declared a ‘yellow’ low-moderate risk zone from Monday, meaning masks become mandatory again at all times when outdoors in public, while the rest of Italy currently remains in the lowest-risk ‘white’ zone.

In a bid to keep the spread under control, the governent will implement other tightened health measures from December 6th.

This includes incentivising vaccine uptake by increasing restrictions for those who have yet to get the jab with the introduction of a so-called ‘Super green pass’.

Italy’s current Covid-19 green pass health certificate will no longer allow access to “non-essential” services including leisure and cultural venues unless the bearer is vaccinated against or recovered from Covid-19.

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HEALTH

Italy’s schools warned to ‘avoid gatherings’ as Covid cases rise

As Italy’s new school year began, masks and hand sanitiser were distributed in schools and staff were asked to prevent gatherings to help stem an increase in Covid infections.

Italy’s schools warned to ‘avoid gatherings’ as Covid cases rise

Pupils returned to school in many parts of Italy on Monday and authorities said they were distributing masks and hand sanitiser amid a post-summer increase in the number of recorded cases of Covid–19.

“The advice coming from principals, teachers and janitors is to avoid gatherings of students, especially in these first days of school,” Mario Rusconi, head of Italy’s Principals’ Association, told Rai news on Monday.

He added that local authorities in many areas were distributing masks and hand sanitizer to schools who had requested them.

“The use of personal protective equipment is recommended for teachers and students who are vulnerable,” he said, confirming that “use is not mandatory.”

A previous requirement for students to wear masks in the classroom was scrapped at the beginning of the last academic year.

Walter Ricciardi, former president of the Higher Health Institute (ISS), told Italy’s La Stampa newspaper on Monday that the return to school brings the risk of increased Covid infections.

Ricciardi described the health ministry’s current guidelines for schools as “insufficient” and said they were “based on politics rather than scientific criteria.”

READ ALSO:

Recorded cases of Covid have increased in most Italian regions over the past three weeks, along with rates of hospitalisation and admittance to intensive care, as much of the country returns to school and work following the summer holidays.

Altogether, Italy recorded 21,309 new cases in the last week, an increase of 44 percent compared to the 14,863 seen the week before.

While the World Health Organisation said in May that Covid was no longer a “global health emergency,” and doctors say currently circulating strains of the virus in Italy are not a cause for alarm, there are concerns about the impact on elderly and clinically vulnerable people with Italy’s autumn Covid booster campaign yet to begin.

“We have new variants that we are monitoring but none seem more worrying than usual,” stated Fabrizio Maggi, director of the Virology and Biosafety Laboratories Unit of the Lazzaro Spallanzani Institute for Infectious Diseases in Rome

He said “vaccination coverage and hybrid immunity can only translate into a milder disease in young and healthy people,” but added that “vaccinating the elderly and vulnerable continues to be important.”

Updated vaccines protecting against both flu and Covid are expected to arrive in Italy at the beginning of October, and the vaccination campaign will begin at the end of October, Rai reported.

Amid the increase in new cases, Italy’s health ministry last week issued a circular mandating Covid testing on arrival at hospital for patients with symptoms.

Find more information about Italy’s current Covid-19 situation and vaccination campaign on the Italian health ministry’s website (available in English).

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