Italy To Extend COVID-19 Restrictions Until End Of July - Health Minister

ROME (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th July, 2020) The Italian government is going to extend coronavirus-related restrictions until the end of July, Health Minister Roberto Speranza said on Tuesday.

"In order to coexist with the virus before the development of the vaccine, to fully restart our economy, to counter the serious social problems which, as we see, are growing in our country, we should not step back from preventive measures even by a millimeter. Thus, the government intends to adopt a new decree to extend the measures currently in force until July 31," Speranza said during an address to lawmakers.

According to the minister, the restrictions include a ban on mass gatherings, and a requirement to wear face masks and respect social distancing rules on public transport, in shops, workplaces, hospitals.

Speranza added that Italy would keep restrictions, namely 14-day mandatory quarantine, on arrivals from outside Europe as the country has confirmed several COVID-19 clusters linked to imported cases. Moreover, Italy has temporarily banned entry from 13 countries with a high spread of COVID-19, including Brazil, Bangladesh, Armenia, Chile and Kuwait.

At the same time, Speranza said that the government has yet to make a decision on the state of emergency, which expires in late July. Media have reported that it might be prolonged until late October.

Italy has so far confirmed over 243,000 COVID-19 cases, more than 195,000 recoveries and 34,984 related deaths. In July, the country is registering around 200 coronavirus cases a day on average.