Premier Giuseppe Conte's government is set to approve restrictions that will put Italy into a form of lockdown over the Christmas holidays to stop social contact during the festive season feeding a third wave of COVID-19 contagion here, sources said Friday.
The government is expected to make all of Italy a red zone, meaning bars and restaurants and non-essential shops must close, on Sundays, national holidays and the days before, the sources said on the basis of a meeting Conte had with the parties supporting his government .
This system will run from Christmas Eve until the Epiphany national holiday on January 6.
On the working days in this period, Italy will be an 'orange zone,' with shops open but bars and restaurants closed, the sources said.
Furthermore, a maximum of two people, not counting under-14s, will be allowed to pay visits to another person's home, according to the sources.
Conte's cabinet is set to meet at 18:00 to examine a decree with the new restrictions after he has talks with regional governors.
Regional Affairs Minister Francesco Boccia said Thursday that he thinks Italians should stay at home this Christmas.
"We must take decisions to protect the fragile and the elderly, even at the cost of approaching unpopularity," Boccia told Sky television.
"Each one of us must spend Christmas in their own home.
"Those thinking about big get-togethers are wrong in a big way" The new measures are on top of a ban on people moving between regions from December 21 until January 6.
In addition, people will not be able to move out of their home towns or cities on Christmas Day, St Stephen's Day and New Year's Day, although an exemption is coming for towns with under 5,000 inhabitants, sources said..
Residents in these small towns will be able to move within a radius of 30km, although not to go to provincial capitals.
A night curfew kicking in at 22:00 will remain in force.
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