Published: 18/11/2020 By The Abode Team
Under Italy's latest emergency decree, the Italian goverment tightened the coronavirus rules for the fourth time in three weeks in response to the country's worsening coronavirus situation. As well as introducing a nationwide curfew, the government announced a new national three-tier framework which means certain rules now differ based on where you are in Italy. The rules came into force on Friday November 6th and were updated on November 11th. A second update came into force on November 15th. In addition the region of Abruzzo decided to go from an orange to a red zone from November 18th, without waiting for the national government to act.The following new measures, contained in the official text of the latest emergency decree, apply across the whole country until at least December 3rd.
Under the new decree, Italy declared a nationwide curfew between 10pm and 5am. This means you must stay indoors unless you can prove you need to leave the house for work or health-related reasons. In that case, you'll need to take a copy of the self-certification form with you. Download the form here self-certification form.pdf
Museums and galleries must close, and shopping centres are shut at weekends.
Bars and restaurants are closed at all times in high-risk areas, though delivery service is allowed and takeaway is also permitted until curfew begins at 10pm. Bars and restaurants were already closed to the public at 6pm nationwide under measures introduced in October.
The number of passengers on public transport has been cut from 80 percent to 50 percent, with the exception of school transport. People are asked to only use public transport if is absolutely necessary or for work.
Stay safe.
Public agencies and private firms have been told to allow employees to work remotely as much as possible.
Further restrictions in red and orange zones In addition to the national rules above, the new regional tier system means red, orange and yellow zones have differing restrictions. From Wednesday November 18th, the regions are classified as follows:
Red (high risk) zones: Calabria, Campania, Tuscany, Lombardy, Piedmont, Valle d'Aosta, autonomous province of Bolzano (also known as Alto Adige/South Tyrol), Abruzzo.
Orange (medium-high risk) zones: Basilicata, Liguria, Puglia, Sicily, Marche, Umbria, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
Yellow (moderate risk) zones: Lazio, Molise, Sardinia, Veneto, autonomous province of Trento (Trentino).
If a region is currently an orange zone, the national rules apply, plus:
People in orange zones are not allowed to travel from one area to another unless for essential reasons, according to the decree text, by either public or private transport. You can enter or leave an orange or red zone only for reasons of work, study, health or emergency, which must be justified using a self-certification form. self-certification form.pdf
Bars, cafes, restaurants, pastry shops and other food businesses must close to the public. Home delivery is still allowed, and takeaway is permitted until curfew at 10pm. Shops including hairdressers and bookshops remain open.
In the higher-risk red zones the national and orange zone rules apply, plus:
In addition to not being allowed to travel from one municipality to another, people in red zones are not allowed to move around within their own area unless for essential reasons, by either public or private transport. If you need to leave your home for work, study, health or emergency reasons these must be justified using a self-certification form. self-certification form.pdf You can only enter or leave an orange or red zone for the same urgent reasons.
In addition to bars, cafes, restaurants, pastry shops and other catering businesses being closed to the public, as in orange zones, shops are closed except for those deemed essential, which include supermarkets and other food shops, tabacchi, bookshops and stationary shops. Hairdressers and beauticians can also remain open.
Distance learning is mandatory for the second grade of middle school (scuola media) and upwards in red zone areas, and for high schools everywhere else. Infant and primary schools (scuola dell’infanzia, scuola primaria) may remain open for in-person teaching across the country, including in red zone areas, the decree states.
All sports activities are suspended but “motor activity” (solo exercise such as running or jogging) is allowed, the decree states.
Regional and city authorities may also put their own additional measures in place in response to the situation locally.
Many other rules, which have now been in place across Italy for months, remain in place under the latest decree.
Cinemas, theatres, gyms and fitness centres were shut down by a previous decree on October 24th.
Betting shops, bingo halls and arcades are also closed, and slot machines in bars and other businesses cannot be used.
Wearing a mask in Italy is obligatory whenever you leave your home, at all times of the day and in all parts of the country, under rules introduced on October 7th. The fines for refusing to wear a mask are currently between €400 and €1,000, with police patrols deployed to check that people are complying. The requirements on social distancing and regular handwashing and sanitising also remain in place. People are instructed to keep a distance of one metre from others at all times, and anyone who with a temperature above 37.5 degrees Celsius is obliged to stay at home.