Lombardy Governor Roberto
Maroni's regional executive has changed the regulations for
access to local government offices and hospitals, banning entry
to people whose face is covered, he said on Thursday.
The measure could be seen as targeting people wearing
Islamic dress such as the burqa and niqab, who can be refused
entry, even though these clothes are not specifically mentioned.
The new rules reflect existing national law, which forbids
people from going around in public without being identifiable.
Inserting them in official regional regulation will make it
possible for staff to turn people away if they are wearing
helmets, or clothes that cover their face.
"We have adjusted the regulation and so now whoever is
monitoring entrances can prevent people with their face covered
from entering," Maroni confirmed.
There are no estimates of how many women wear a face veil
in Italy, where Islam is the second largest religion after
Catholicism with around 1.2 million faithful.
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