Rome, Oct. 14, (dpa/GNA) – The Italian government on Tuesday tightened measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, with bans on private parties and a curfew for bars and restaurants.
Eating and drinking establishments will have to close at midnight, and people will no longer be allowed to huddle outside their premises as of 9 pm.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte signed a decree containing the new measures overnight, and the 20-page document was published hours later.
It limits attendance numbers at ceremonies like weddings, baptisms and funerals to 30 and recommended mask-wearing even at home when friends or relatives visit.
The government also urged citizens to refrain from all dinners and other meetings with more than six non-household members at home, and banned all school trips and amateur group sports like football.
The new rules are to apply for a month, starting from Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters in Rome, Conte said the government hopes these restrictions will be sufficient to reduce the number of infections again.
“We want to forestall a generalized lockdown,” he said.
In a separate move, the Health Ministry on Monday reduced the length of time that people spend in quarantine for the coronavirus from 14 to 10 days, a day after government health advisors approved the change.
Italy’s case numbers have risen since October 1, when the average daily number of new cases was below 2,000. On Tuesday, that number hit 5,901, the highest figure since late March and a near record.
The latest data brought the country’s total infections to 365,467, and the death toll to 36,246, an increase of 41 compared to Monday.
GNA