Schools, restaurants, and shops will all remain closed till further notice after Italy imposes lockdown. The government announces the decision right after Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s warning. He issues a warning against the new covid wave.
According to the announcement, the lockdown will remain until the End of Easter on April 5, 2021. The situation in Italy was terrible around this time last year. Moreover, it seems the country is facing challenges controlling the new wave this year too.
Italy facing covid challenges much like 2020
There is constant news of rapid infection spread even after reports of 100,000 deaths from last year till now. It is the second-highest covid fatality figure after the UK. Amidst this lockdown scenario, it is unfortunate that there is a delay in Italy’s vaccination procedure too. Well, the case is the same in the majority of European countries at present.
AstraZeneca, the Anglo-Swedish vaccine producer, has a deficit in their supply commitment to the European countries. However, the organization is blaming the restriction in export on the end of specific European countries. During the question, the AstraZeneca spokesperson denied further comments.
Earlier in January, AstraZeneca reveals that there will be a deficit of 1 million doses compared to their original commitment. As a result, there was a public spat between the vaccine manufacturer and the European Commission.
It was only a few days back when the Roman government was imposing restrictions on exporting 2,50,000 Oxford-AstraZeneca doses to Australia. The decision was to solve the deficit issue they were facing.
There is a new list of rules to apply after Italy imposes lockdown
On the other hand, countries such as Bulgaria, Norway, and Denmark are already unwilling to continue the vaccination process with the Oxford-AstraZeneca shots. The announcement took place after there were reports of blood clotting in people post-vaccination. However, there is no solid proof to justify that the reports are valid. The countries are still wanting to stay on the safer side.
The new rules after Italy imposes lockdown includes the complete shutdown of schools, restaurants, and shops. The same is applicable for places across more than half of the country, including Milan and Rome. All people will have to stay back at home except for health, work, or other emergencies. As per reports from PM Draghi’s office, the entire Italy will remain in a red zone until Easter ends.
In a press conference, PM Draghi says that he is aware of the lockdown consequences. He knows that the sudden decision of lockdown will affect the education system. However, he wants to assure everyone that the decision will save the country from more challenging restrictions.
The number of covid cases in Italy is continually rising for the past six weeks and more. The average figure of infections per day is around 25,000 at present. Moreover, in most of the places, ICU units and hospitals are already full. Sardinia Island is the only region where the number of infections is low right now.
