(ANSA) - ROME, APR 16 - Premier Mario Draghi announced Friday
that the government is to start significantly relaxing Italy's
COVID-19-linked restrictions as of April 26.
He said the government had taken a calculated risk that was
"based on (contagion) data what is improving".
The government is reintroducing moderate-risk yellow zones to
the nation's tiered system of restrictions, but in a 'reinforced
version' which means restaurants will be able to serve people at
tables once again and concerts and sports events will be able to
resume as long as they take place in the open air.
At the moment Italy only has high-risk red zones or
medium-high-risk orange zones, where bars and restaurants can
only do takeaways for home deliveries.
High-school students will return 100% to having lessons in class
on April 26, except in red zones.
At the moment high-school students in red zones are doing
lessons via distance learning, along with pupils in the second
and third year of middle school.
High-school students in the rest of the country are having
50-75% of lessons physically in school and the rest via distance
learning.
"We have brought the introduction of the yellow zone forward to
this month, but with a change with respect to the past, giving
precedence to open-air activities, restaurants open for lunch
and dinner and all schools reopening in yellow and red zones,"
Draghi said.
"It is possible to look to the future with prudent optimism and
confidence".
He said a ban on movement between Italy's region's would end
too.
People will be allowed to move between yellow-zone regions while
it will be possible to obtain a pass to move between regions of
different colours.
The premier said that he was confident if would not be necessary
to tighten the restrictions again if people respect the rules on
physical distancing and wearing facemasks. (ANSA).