Conte govt set to bring in 9pm nationwide curfew

(ANSA) - ROME, NOV 2 - Premier Giuseppe Conte's government is poised. to introduce another package of restrictions to combat the rising spread of COVID-19.
    The new package is set to include a nationwide curfew at night kicking in at 21:00, Labour Undersecretary Francesca Puglisi told Sky TV on Monday.
    There would be exemptions for people who need to be out for work reasons.
    Italy has been registering around 30,000 new cases of the coronavirus each day over the last few days.
    Conte has been in talks with regional governors about the measures and is set to address the Lower House and the Senate on Monday.
    Other measures being considered include replacing classes with distance learning for high-school pupils and some middle-school students, the closure of shopping centres at weekends, a ban on inter-regional travel and possible additional restrictions for over-70s because they are especially vulnerable to COVID-19.
    There was reportedly disagreement during the talks between the governors, who wanted the measures to be uniform nationwide, and Conte, who is said to have wanted sealed-off 'red zones' to be created on the basis of contagion rates.
    There have been violent protests in several Italian cities after the government's previous restrictions, which include the closure of theatres, cinemas, swimming polls and gyms and the obligation for restaurants and bars to stop serving at 18:00, and curfews imposed by some regions.
    "The interventions will be uniform (across the nation) then, as written in previous decrees, each local authority can take additional restrictions within their own autonomy," said Puglisi.
    "The restrictions will be national and then there might be the desire to make a distinction between regions whose R number is over 2 and those that have a lower index.
    "But the measures, such as the curfew at 21.00, will be nationwide.
    "Unfortunately, we have to sacrifice education with students physically present in class, changing it to distance learning, for all high schools and doing this for the third year of middle school is being discussed too". (ANSA).