Protests Against COVID-19 Restrictions in Italy Not Coordinated From Single Core- Ministry

ROME (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th October, 2020) The wave of public unrest seen in Italian cities over recent days against the reintroduction of social distancing measures to curb the resurgence of COVID-19 was not coordinated from a single center, the Italian Interior Ministry said on Wednesday following a meeting of the country's Public Order and Security Committee.

"An analysis of the situation was carried out with the help of national public order and security organs, paying particular attention to the demonstrations that raised tensions and resulted in acts of aggression and vandalism," the Italian Interior Ministry, which coordinated the meeting that was attended by Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese, said in a communique.

According to the committee's participants, the protests featured extremists from both the far-right and the far-left, and the ministry said that the groups were not linked by "obvious elements of a single direction."

Speaking in the Italian Senate on Wednesday evening, Lamorgese said that she understood the difficulties faced by the country's population following the reintroduction of the restrictions.

Dozens of people have been detained in Italy's major cities amid a wave of violent protests that has sprung up in response to the reintroduction of social distancing measures following a surge in new COVID-19 cases.

A new government decree entered into force on Monday banning bars and restaurants from operating after 18:00 local time [17:00 GMT]. Cinemas, theaters, gyms, swimming pools, spa centers, and casinos have also been ordered to close, with the measures expected to remain in effect until at least November 24.

The Italian Ministry of Health on Wednesday registered 24,991 new positive tests for COVID-19 over the preceding 24 hours, a significant rise from the 21,991 cases confirmed on the previous day. A further 205 deaths were also reported.

Since the start of the outbreak, more than 589,000 cases of the disease have been identified in Italy, resulting in the deaths of 37,905 people.