Nationwide curfew and clamping down by region
On Tuesday night, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte signed a new presidential decree in an effort to curb the growing Covid-19 numbers throughout Italy. The Prime Minister explained these measures in a live address in the evening of November 4, with measures to go into force today Friday, November 6 and to remain in place until December 3.
Since some areas of Italy have higher numbers than others, the regulations this time are divided up into nationwide measures and regional measures. Nationwide, there is now a curfew between 10pm and 5:00am, the closure of ALL museums and shopping malls are to remain closed on weekends. On a regional level, the approach is to set up a color-coded system that indicates the risk based on 21 parameters. The government has made a list of all of Italy’s regions and given them a color: yellow, orange or red. There are no green regions, as the entire country right now has Covid-19 numbers that are going up. Some of the parameters which determine the color include the rT level (transmission risk), number of active clusters and number of hospital beds available, particularly in the ICUs of regional hospitals.
Tuscany – and thus Florence – is a YELLOW area (for now the lightest level) which means that nationwide measures apply with no additional restrictions applied for the region.
UPDATE NOV. 09, 2020: This evening we got news that Tuscany, along with several other regions, have gone from yellow to orange with restrictions to start applying this Wednesday Nov. 11 :(. We aren’t doing well over here.
UPDATE NOV. 13, 2020: Even worse news, after just a two days in Orange we are now going into RED as of Sunday, November 15.
Nationwide rules
If you’re anywhere in Italy, these are important to know.
CURFEW: between 10pm and 5am, people have to stay home. You can leave home only for work, health or extreme situations of need. If you are stoped by the police and asked to explain why you’re out and about, you need to fill out and carry with you a self-certificate that you can download here: https://www.interno.gov.it/sites/default/files/2020-10/modello_autodichiarazione_editabile_ottobre_2020.pdf
MUSEUMS and EXHIBITIONS CLOSED: We were just getting used to seeing some museums and exhibits open with all precautions in place, but these have been deemed as being risky for transmission. So now everything that was planned for November is no longer applicable (such as any special initiatives I had just shared last week).
SHOPPING MALLS CLOSED ON WEEKENDS: Too many people gathering there on the weekends so they have to close down on weekends. Food stores, pharmacies and newsagents in malls can remain open.
All shops remain open during the week and as long as they are not in shopping centers.
FOOD: Restaurants, coffee shops, pubs, gelaterias and bakeries can continue to operate between 5am and 6pm (closed in the orange and red regions, however). Home delivery and takeaway services can operate until 10pm. No more than 4 people are allowed to eat at the same table, not applicable to groups of people who live together.
SCHOOLS: In person lessons remain open nationwide for nurseries, primary and middle schools. Mask wearing is mandatory for students at primary and middle schools even when seated at their desks (this was not the case before, as long as they were seated they could have mask off). Children under 6 are exempt from wearing masks. All secondary schools (high schools) and universities can only continue via digital lessons.
Regional rules
Each of the regions is now categorized by a color-coded system: red is high risk of transmission, orange is medium-high risk and yellow is medium risk. There are 21 parameters by which the regions were placed into each color zone.
RED ZONES
The red zones will enter into a similar lockdown situation to March, with most shops closed. Food stores, newsagents, pharmacies, dry cleaners and hairdressers can remain open (why hairdressers and dry cleaners need to remain open is beyond me). In any case, in the red zones, bars, restaurants, pubs, gelato places and must close as well, although eateries may continue to offer takeaway and home deliveries until 10pm.
Movement is strictly limited to work and need. Persons may only exercise in the vicinity of their home. Travel into and/or out of red zones is prohibited, unless you are returning to your place of residence, for work reasons or in situations of need, such as taking your children to school (only infant, primary and the first year of middle school will remain open).
Lombardy, Piedmont, Calabria and Valle d’Aosta have been declared as red zones.
ORANGE ZONES
Here, bars, pubs, restaurants, gelaterie and bakeries also must close, and eateries can continue to offer takeaway and home deliveries until 10pm. Movement is restricted to your municipality, unless for work, study, health reasons or in situations of need.
Puglia and Sicily are orange zones.
YELLOW ZONES
All the remaining regions are yellow zones: Abruzzo, Basilicata, Campania, Emilia Romagna, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Liguria, Marche, Molise, Sardinia, Tuscany, Umbria and Veneto, plus the Provinces of Trento and Bolzano (where additional restrictions are already in place).
There are no additional restrictions beyond the nationwide rules listed above.
Travel right now
A strong recommendation remains in place against all travel, unless for work, study and health reasons, for situations of need or to carry out activities or use services that have not been suspended.
All persons are strongly encouraged to work from home as much as possible, whether in the public or private sector.
At Home
The Italian Government strongly recommends that you do not invite people over to your house at this time, unless for work or for situations of need and urgency. Definitely NO PARTIES are allowed! In the last few decrees the government had already stated that if you have people over to your house, even if family relatives, they should wear masks and you should limit the time you spend together.
This is the situation as of today in Italy and in Florence and across Tuscany.
Take care and stay safe!
