Italy imposes additional coronavirus restrictions, cites ‘terrifying’ surge

Italy’s premier on Monday announced a new set of national measures aimed at stemming the spread of COVID-19 after his moves to implement some restrictions in October failed to prevent what his health minister called a “terrifying” surge in cases.

The Associated Press reported that Giuseppe Conte told Italian lawmakers that the newest set of restrictions would vary by region but would include a “late evening” curfew for many regions in the country currently not under such a restriction, as well as the closure of some businesses.

High schools in Italy will move to full-time distance learning, while shopping malls will close across the country on weekends, according to the AP.

Conte’s decision comes a day after Reuters reported that his top health minister warned an alarming rise in COVID-19 cases presented an immediate danger to be addressed by state officials.

“We have 48 hours to try to approve a further tightening [of the rules], there are too many people around,” Roberto Speranza said, according to the news service.

“The epidemiological curve is still very high. What worries me the most is the absolute data, which shows a terrifying curve,” he added.

Italy previously moved in mid-October to implement a national mask mandate and empower local officials to implement partial lockdowns and curfews as needed. The country is one of the hardest-hit by the COVID-19 outbreak in Europe, and has recorded more than 709,000 total cases of the virus.

The new restrictions come as Italian health officials recorded 32,000 new infections on Saturday and 29,905 on Sunday, the former of which was the most the country has seen in one day since the pandemic began.