Four Italian regions, including Milan, put under lockdown

November 6, 2020

130 3 minutes read

The Italian regions worst-hit by the second coronavirus wave entered a new lockdown Friday after the country tallied its highest daily number of both infections and deaths the previous day.

Italy is under a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. nationwide curfew, with bars and restaurants closing at 6 p.m., while certain areas face harsher restrictions.
Residents in “red zone” regions — Lombardy, Piedmont, Valle d’Aosta, and Calabria — may only leave home for necessities, health, or work.

Those in “orange zones” are banned from leaving their towns except for work or health reasons and bars and restaurants are closed except for delivery and takeout.
Italy reported 35,505 new cases and 445 deaths Thursday, taking its case total to 824,879 and fatalities to 40,192, according to health ministry data.

These figures “are not a good sign,” said Gianni Rezza, director of the prevention department at the ministry. “The virus is running and we have to stop it.”

Which category is each region of Italy in?

Red (high risk) zones: Lombardy, Calabria, Piedmont, Valle d’Aosta.

Orange (medium risk) zones: Puglia, Sicily.

Yellow zones: All other regions; Abruzzo, Basilicata, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Liguria, Marche, Molise, Sardinia, Tuscany, Umbria, Veneto and Trentino-Alto-Adige (which has declared 11 municipalities, including Bolzano, local red zones).

What are the rules?

The following new measures are contained in the official text of the latest emergency decree, signed on Tuesday. They will apply across the whole country from November 6th until at least December 3rd.

Evening curfew between 10 pm and 5 am
Shopping centers closed at weekends
Museums and galleries closed
All high schools must switch to remote learning

In addition to these national rules, the regional tier system means red, orange, and yellow zones have differing restrictions.

Yellow zones do not face any additional restrictions beyond the national ones.

In red and orange zones, the main differences are as follows: Orange zones: All the national rules will apply, plus:

Travel restrictions

People in orange zones will not be allowed to travel from one municipality to another, unless for essential reasons, by either public or private transport. You can enter or leave an orange or red zone only for reasons of work, study, health or emergency, which must be justified using a self-certification form.

Business closures

Bars, cafes, restaurants, pastry shops and other food businesses must close to the public. Home delivery is still allowed, and takeaway is permitted until curfew at 10pm. Shops including hairdressers and bookshops will remain open. Red zones: All the national and orange zone rules apply, plus

Travel restrictions

In addition to not being allowed to travel from one municipality to another, people in red zones are not allowed to move around within their own area unless for essential reasons, by either public or private transport. If you need to leave your home for work, study, health or emergency reasons these must be justified using a self-certification form. You can only enter or leave an orange or red zone for the same urgent reasons.

Business closures

In addition to bars, cafes, restaurants, pastry shops and other catering businesses being closed to the public, as in orange zones, shops are to be closed except for those deemed essential, which include supermarkets and other food shops, tabacchi, bookshops and stationary shops. Hairdressers and beauticians can also remain open.

Some schools closed

Distance learning will be mandatory for the second grade of middle school and upwards in red zone areas.

Infant and primary schools (scuola dell’infanzia, scuola primaria) may remain open for in-person teaching across the country, including in red zone areas, the decree states.