Health Minister Roberto Speranza is
set to sign an ordinance making most of Italy an 'orange zone'
under Italy's tiered system of restrictions based on each
region's risk of COVID-19 contagion, sources said Friday.
Lombardy, the region hit hardest by the first wave of the
coronavirus, Sicily and the autonomous province of Bolzano are
set to to be classed as red zones as of Sunday.
Speranza's decisions are based on the latest data from the
health ministry and the Higher Health Institute's weekly
monitoring report and on the basis of a new government decree
that revised the parameters to decide how the regions are
classed.
Under the tiered system, in high-risk red zones all restaurants
and bars are closed, except for takeaways and home deliveries,
and all non-essential shops are closed too.
In medium-high risk orange zones, shops can do business but
restaurants and bars must stay closed.
In moderate risk yellow zones, shops are open and so are bars
and restaurants until 6pm.
Nine regions, Abruzzo, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Liguria,
Marche, Piedmont, Puglia, Umbria and Valle D'Aosta, are turning
yellow to orange.
Three others, Calabria, Emilia-Romagna and Veneto, are currently
orange and will remain so.
Six regions-autonomous provinces are remaining yellow -
Campania, Sardinia, Basilicata, Tuscany, Molise and the
autonomous province of Trento.
The new decree maintains a nationwide curfew from 10pm until
5am.
It also keeps a ban on travel between regions, except for work
or health reasons and other situations of absolute need, that
was imposed before the Christmas holidays.
The ban will run until February 15.
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