First measures On 31 January 2020, the
Italian Council of Ministers appointed
Angelo Borrelli, head of the
Civil Protection, as Special Commissioner for the COVID-19 emergency. On 22 February,
the government announced a new decree imposing the quarantine of more than 50,000 people from 11 municipalities in
Northern Italy. The quarantine zones are called the Red Zones and the areas in Lombardy and Veneto outside of them are called the Yellow Zones. Penalties for violations range from a €206 fine to three months of imprisonment. The
Italian military and law enforcement agencies were instructed to secure and implement the lockdown. Schools were closed in ten municipalities in Lombardy, one in Veneto and one in Emilia Romagna. All public events were cancelled and commercial activities open to the public were halted or were allowed to resume only until 6 pm. All religious services were cancelled. Regional train services to the most affected areas were suspended, with trains skipping stops at Codogno,
Maleo and Casalpusterlengo stations. People with symptoms were advised to call the
112 emergency number, instead of going directly to hospitals, in an effort to limit the disease's spread. The
Ministry of Health provided a website and a direct line (1500) from which people could obtain the latest updates and information, as well as report suspected cases. Educational trips to destinations in Italy and abroad were suspended. Universities in Lombardy, Veneto,
Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, Piedmont and
Emilia-Romagna suspended all activities from 23 February until 1 March. On 22 February 2020, Prime Minister
Giuseppe Conte suspended all sporting events in the regions of Lombardy and Veneto, which included three
Serie A football matches in those regions, as well as one in
Piedmont, that were to be played the following day. The following week, six Serie A matches were initially to be played behind closed doors, but all were later suspended, as were two
Coppa Italia matches. Authorities in Veneto cancelled the last two days of the
Carnival of Venice on 23 February. Authorities in Piedmont cancelled the last three days of the Carnival of
Ivrea.
La Scala,
Milan Cathedral and
Piccolo Teatro in Milan, as well as
St Mark's Basilica in Venice, were closed until further notice. A
Giorgio Armani fashion show, which was scheduled on Sunday, the last day of
Milan Fashion Week 2020, went ahead without any media or buyers present; it was instead streamed live online. In addition to the emergency phone numbers 112 and 118, new dedicated numbers were added for the different regions – Lombardy 800894545,
Campania 800909699, Veneto 800462340, Piedmont 800333444 and Emilia-Romagna 800033033. The
Ocean Viking, a rescue ship operated by
MSF and
SOS Mediteranee that was carrying almost 300 migrants, was quarantined for 14 days in
Pozzallo, Sicily.
Trenitalia and
Italo, the major providers for Italy's high-speed trains, ordered the installation of hand-sanitiser dispensers on all trains as well as the distribution of masks, disposable gloves and disinfectants to all onboard staff members. supermarket in
Bergamo, 26 February 2020 Supermarkets in Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna were emptied by customers as residents stockpiled food and supplies. Streets, parks and train stations in multiple cities in Lombardy were left deserted. On 24 February 500 additional police officers were assigned to patrol the quarantined areas in
Lodi and Veneto. The Ministry of Health announced that it had engaged 31 laboratories in Italy to carry out the analysis of swabs from suspected COVID-19 cases. Minister
Roberto Speranza appointed Walter Ricciardi, a member of
World Health Organization's executive committee and former president of
Italian National Institute of Health, as a special adviser for relations between Italy and international health organisations. Filming of
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One starring
Tom Cruise in Venice was halted. Major companies such as
IBM,
Enel,
Luxottica,
PricewaterhouseCoopers and
Vodafone continued to allow
remote work by employees.
Generali Tower in Milan and
Palazzo Madama in Rome installed thermal scanners to measure temperatures of visitors and employees.
FAO Headquarters in Rome conducted temperature checks on visitors entering the building. Multiple regions in Italy such as
Liguria, Trentino Alto Adige, Friuli-Venezia Giulia,
Abruzzo and Marche decided to close all schools and universities for two days to a week. Court proceedings were postponed until further notice. The
FTSE MIB Index fell by 6% and other stock market indices across Europe were also affected. Over 300,000 calls per day were logged on Lombardy's toll-free line as well as the emergency number 112. Some of the residents inside the Red Zone managed to leave the quarantined areas daily, bypassing the checkpoints by going through back roads. On 25 February,
Aviano Air Base closed all schools until 28 February. General
Tod D. Walters issued a travel ban covering the areas of Italy affected by the outbreak for US service members and their families. Driver's licence exams were suspended in Lombardy and Veneto. The number of checkpoints in the Red Zones was increased from 15 to 35, and army personnel were sent to help staff the checkpoints. The
Italian Basketball Federation suspended all of its championship games, including
Lega Basket Serie A. Istituto Tecnico Economico Enrico Tosi in
Varese, Istituto Comprensivo di
Pianoro in Bologna and Liceo Attilio Bertolucci in Parma conducted lessons for students online while waiting for the schools to reopen. The
University of Palermo suspended all activities until 9 March.
Morgan Stanley,
Barclays,
Mediobanca and
UniCredit encouraged
remote work by Milan staff. Multiple fairs and exhibitions were rescheduled.
Salone del Mobile was postponed to 16 to 21 June. Bologna Children's Book Fair was rescheduled to 4 to 7 May. Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna, a cosmetic fair, was rescheduled to 11 to 15 June. Expocasa, a furniture fair in Turin, was rescheduled initially to 28 March to 5 April but later to a future date to be announced later. Roma Motodays was postponed to 17 to 19 April. Italy opened a probe into skyrocketing online prices for masks and sanitising gels. Police issued warnings that criminals were using false identities and posing as health inspectors to gain access to people's homes to steal money, jewellery and other valuables. On 26 February, Director of the Italian National Institute of Health Franco Locatelli announced that swabbing would only be performed on symptomatic patients, as 95% of the swabs previously tested were negative. The
Italian Minister of University and Research,
Gaetano Manfredi, announced that online lessons would be delivered to students in areas affected by the outbreak starting on 2 March.
Palermo and
Naples closed all schools until 29 February. The
University of Basilicata installed a thermal scanner and continued all teaching activities as per normal. The
University of Bari suspended all medical- and health-related internships for medical and healthcare students.
Politecnico di Milano conducted thesis mentoring for more than one thousand students graduating the following week using
Skype. The
Italian Winter Sports Federation decided to proceed with the Women's World Cup alpine skiing races at
La Thuile, Aosta Valley on 29 February. The MIDO Milan Eyewear Show was rescheduled to 5 to 7 July. On 27 February,
Taranto, Apulia closed all schools until 29 February. Multiple schools were closed in Roseto degli Abruzzi.
D'Annunzio University suspended all activities until 29 February. Cartoocomics Fair in Milan was rescheduled to 2 to 4 October. The Winter Rescue Race in
Piedmont was cancelled.
University of Bologna planned to set up a remote teaching project in which exams and lessons would be delivered to students online, to be partially completed on 2 March.
Messina closed all schools from 29 February to 3 March. On 28 February, during an interview with
Rai News24, Professor Massimo Galli from the Luigi Sacco Hospital in Milan suggested that the majority of newly recorded cases were pre-existing cases that were finally detected during the extensive tests performed on people (and their relatives) who had come in contact with confirmed patients. The rapid increase of positive cases was the result of the blanket testing approach that was deployed following the first confirmed case in Codogno. The Ministry of Health announced new guidelines for reporting cases. It would no longer report asymptomatic cases (positive swabs taken from patients who were not showing symptoms), which had counted as 40 to 50% of all reported cases at the time. These people would undergo isolation at home and would be followed up with new tests until they were negative. Universities in Lombardy extended their closure until 7 March. • A red zone (composed of the municipalities of Bertonico, Casalpusterlengo, Castelgerundo, Castiglione D'Adda, Codogno, Fombio, Maleo, San Fiorano, Somaglia and Terranova dei Passerini in Lombardy, and the municipality of
Vo' in Veneto), where the whole population is in quarantine. • A yellow zone (composed of the regions of Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna), where social and sports events are suspended and schools, theatres, clubs, and cinemas are closed. • The rest of the national territory, where safety and prevention measures are advertised in public places and special sanitisations are performed on means of public transport. On 4 March, the Italian government imposed the shutdown of all schools and universities nationwide for two weeks as the country reached 100 deaths from the outbreak. The same day, the government ruled that all sporting events in Italy would be played behind closed doors until 3 April. On 5 March, when the newly appointed
Emilia-Romagna regional minister of health, Raffale Donini, tested positive for COVID-19, Governor
Stefano Bonaccini appointed Sergio Venturi as commissioner for the emergency. Venturi was the regional minister of health until February 2020. In the night between 7 and 8 March, the government approved a decree to lock down Lombardy and 14 other provinces in Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Piedmont and Marche, involving more than 16 million people. The decree "absolutely avoided any movement into and out of the areas" and, like the previous one, it provided sanctions of up to three months in prison for those who violated the lockdown. It was possible to move into and out of the areas only for emergencies or "proven working needs", which must be authorised by the
prefect. The decree also established the closure of all gyms, swimming pools, spas and wellness centres. Shopping centres had to be closed on weekends, while other commercial activities could remain open if a distance of one metre between customers could be guaranteed. The decree imposed the closure of museums, cultural centres and ski resorts in the lockdown areas and the closure of cinemas, theatres, pubs, dance schools, game rooms, betting rooms and
bingo halls,
discos and similar places in the entire country. This measure was described as the largest lockdown in the history of Europe, as well as the most aggressive response taken in any region beyond China, and paralysed the wealthiest parts of the country as Italy attempted to constrain the rapid spread of the disease. Riots broke out in many penitentiaries throughout Italy after restrictions on
conjugal visits were imposed by the government in the 8 March decree. Nine prisoners died in
Modena and three in
Rieti, while 76 detainees escaped from
Foggia's penitentiary. Two prison agents were assaulted and kidnapped in
Pavia. On 9 March in
Bologna, detainees took control of the Dozza penitentiary, forcing personnel to exit the building. On 11 March, two prisoners were found dead in Bologna's penitentiary. In total, fourteen prisoners died in the whole country. On 9 March, the government announced that all sporting events in Italy would be cancelled until at least 3 April, but the ban did not include Italian clubs or national teams participating in international competitions. In the evening, Conte announced in a press conference that all measures previously applied only in the so-called "red zones" had been extended to the whole country, putting approximately 60 million people in lockdown. Conte later proceeded to officially sign the new executive decree. rules On 11 March, the government allocated 25 billion euros for the emergency. In the evening, Conte announced a tightening of the lockdown, with all commercial and retail businesses except those providing essential services, like grocery shops and pharmacies, closed down. He also appointed Domenico Arcuri as Delegated Commissioner for the Emergency. Arcuri will cooperate with Commissioner
Angelo Borrelli with the aim of strengthening the distribution of
intensive care equipment. On 16 March 2020, the Italian government introduced the
Cura Italia emergency package, valued at €25 billion and accounting for 1.1% of the GDP. The package was the earliest financial response to the COVID-19 outbreak and aimed at supporting the Italian health care system, as well as its citizens and businesses. On 19 March, the
Army was deployed to the city of
Bergamo, the worst hit Italian city by COVID-19, as the local authorities can no longer process the number of dead residents. The city's mayor
Giorgio Gori said the true number of dead could be much higher than reported. Army trucks transported bodies to
crematoriums in several other cities, as cemeteries in the city were full. On the following day, the Army was called in to assist the police forces in enforcing the lockdown. On 20 March, the Ministry of Health ordered tighter regulations on free movement. The new measures banned open-air sports and running, except individually and in close proximity of one's residence. Parks, playgrounds, and public green were closed down. Furthermore, movement across the country was further restricted, by banning "any movement towards a residence different from the main one", including holiday homes, during weekends and holidays. On 21 March, Conte announced further restrictions within the nationwide lockdown, by halting all non-essential production, industries and businesses in Italy, following the rise in the number of new cases and deaths in the previous days. This measure had also been strongly asked for by multiple institutions, including trade unions, mayors, and regional presidents, as well as medical professionals, but was initially opposed by the industrialists. On 24 March, in a live-streamed press conference, Conte announced a new decree approved by the Council of Ministers. The decree imposed higher fines for the violation of the restrictive measures, and regulation of the relationship between government and Parliament during the emergency. It included also the possibility of reducing or suspending public and private transport, and gave the regional governments power to impose additional restrictive regulations in their regions for a maximum of seven days before being confirmed by national decree. On 1 April, the government extended the period of lockdown until 13 April, with health minister Speranza saying that the restrictive measures had begun to yield the first positive results. wearing protective masks On 6 April, the government announced a new economic stimulus plan, consisting of €200 billion of state-guaranteed loans to companies and additional €200 billion of guarantees to support exports. On 7 April, after more than a month of suspension, the
Italian Basketball Federation officially ended the 2019–20
LBA season, without assigning the title. On 8 April, a government's decree closed all Italian ports until 31 July, stating that they do not ensure the necessary requirements for the classification and definition of "safe place", established by the
Hamburg Rules on maritime search and rescue." On 10 April, Conte announced the prolongation of the lockdown until 3 May, as well as the reopening of some businesses like bookshops and forestry. On 26 April, the Prime Minister announced a starter plan for the so-called "phase 2", that would start from 4 May. Movements across regions would still be forbidden, while the ones between municipalities would be allowed only for work and health reasons, as well as for visits to relatives. The plan allowed the re-opening of manufacturing industries and construction sites, however schools, bars, restaurants and hairdressers would stay closed. On 13 May, Education Minister Lucia Azzolina announced schools would remain closed until September. On 16 May, Conte announced the government plan for the easing of restrictions. Starting from 18 May most businesses could reopen, and free movement was granted to all citizens within their region; movement across regions was still banned for non-essential motives. Furthermore, on 25 May swimming pools and gyms could also reopen, and on 15 June theatres and cinemas. On 3 June, free movement within the whole national territory was restored,
de facto ending the lockdown started in March. Penalties for breaching isolation were increased with fines from €500 to €5,000 and imprisonment of up to 18 months.
Containment measures on the second wave Starting from July 2020, many countries in Europe, including Italy, witnessed a new rise in detected COVID-19 cases. On 7 October, the Parliament postponed the end of the state of emergency to 31 January 2021, and Prime Minister Conte imposed the use of protection mask outdoors. On 13 October 2020, the Italian government reintroduced stricter rules to limit the spread of COVID-19. Demonstrations and gatherings of people were strictly forbidden. Regions and municipalities were given the power to only tighten, but not release, containment measures. On 25 October, Conte introduced new restrictions, imposing the closing of gyms, swimming pools, theatres and cinemas, as well as the closing of bars and restaurants by 6 pm.
Variants of the virus and third wave Predictive systems have proven reliable and confirmed the increase in cases and deaths since October 2020. The start of the
vaccination campaign on 27 December 2020 did not limit the spread of the virus in the population that is still vulnerable, but safeguarded doctors and health professionals and partly the elderly and immuno-depressed patients. However, the appearance of numerous
variants of the more lethal virus such as the
English one, and those still to be assessed as dangerous such as the
South African and
Brazilian or Amazonian ones together with a slowdown in the vaccination campaign due to a poor supply of vaccines will lead to a worsening of the prospects for containing the virus. and an increase of another 40,000 deaths by spring 2021.
The Delta variant In June 2021, the
COVID-19 Delta variant became predominant. The Delta variant is more contagious and is equally risky for those who have not had the COVID-19 vaccine or who have only taken the first dose. However, currently available data do not show an increase in the lethality rate. Unfortunately, July 2021 confirms an increase in infections. On July 16, 2021, The cases in Italy since the beginning of the epidemic are 4,281,214, the deaths 127,851. The discharged and healed are instead 4,110,649, with an increase of 1,070 compared to 15 July 2021. The current positives are 42,714, up 1,814 in the last 24 hours. People in home isolation are 41,465 (+1,807). On summer 2021, under monitoring in Italy, there is another variant beyond the Delta, the
Epsilon variant that was first identified in
California, in the
United States, in early 2021. The
Epsilon variant can make sick those who are vaccinated or already cured of the
COVID-19.
Local measures On 15 March, President of Campania
Vincenzo De Luca imposed a strict quarantine on
Ariano Irpino, in the province of Avellino, and four other municipalities in the province of Salerno,
Atena Lucana,
Caggiano,
Polla, and
Sala Consilina. On 16 March, President of Emilia-Romagna
Stefano Bonaccini imposed a strengthened quarantine on the municipality of
Medicina, near Bologna, since it had developed an intense outbreak. People were not allowed to enter or exit the town for any reason. In early April, Lombardy and Tuscany made it compulsory for all residents to wear a face mask when leaving their home. Due to the spike in
COVID-19 cases in August, Italy's health minister,
Roberto Speranza announced the closure of nightclubs in some parts of the country and made masks mandatory between 6 pm and 6 am, in crowded areas and at social gatherings. The restrictions came into effect on 17 August 2020. On 15 October 2020, the president of Campania De Luca, closed all schools and universities until 30 October 2020. On 23 October, De Luca announced a regional lockdown, imposing restrictions to all not essential movements as well as a
curfew. In the night, riots and clashes happened in the streets of
Naples to
protest against the lockdown. The strategy of mass-testing
asymptomatic carriers was proven to be successful in stopping the spread of the virus in one Italian town. This strategy in Italy was supported by the region of
Veneto.
Vaccination campaign , Lombardy The vaccination campaign began on 27 December 2020, when Italy received 9,750 doses of the
Pfizer–
BioNTech vaccine. These doses were entirely used in the following days to vaccinate part of the medical and health personnel of hospitals. As a member of the EU, Italy would receive vaccine doses together with the other EU countries in a coordinated task managed by the European Commission. The first Italian region to start with vaccinations was
Lazio, in the
Spallanzani Hospital in Rome. On 6 January 2021, the
European Medicines Agency (EMA) gave the green light to the
Moderna vaccine. On 1 May 2021, Italy reached 20 million vaccinated with a single dose and 6 million with double dose. On 22 May 2021, Italy reached 30 million vaccinated with a single dose and 9.9 million with double dose. As of 3 September 2021, Italy has administered a total of 78,798,299 COVID vaccine doses. In August 2021, hackers blocked an Italian booking system for vaccinations.
Vaccine hesitancy The New York Times reported that
Bolzano had the highest rate of covid infection due to people there relying on herbal remedies instead of vaccination.
Lifting lockdown In June 2021, during the vaccination campaign, the government lifted some lockdown measures, such as mandatory masks.
"Green Pass" and vaccination mandate To contain the spread of new variants, in August 2021 the government extended the requirement of the
EU Digital COVID Certificate, also known as "Green Pass", to the participation in sports events and music festivals, but also to the access to indoor places like bars, restaurants and gyms, as well as to long-distance public transportation. Due to increased infections and the desire to prevent further lockdowns, the "green pass" was made mandatory for all employees in Italy in September 2021. Failure to produce a health vaccine certificate to their employer will result in suspended pay for up to five days. Employees and employers that violate this requirement will face a fine between €400 and €1500. The unemployed and those living on pension are exempted from showing their health vaccine certificate. On 5 January 2022, Italy mandated vaccines for people over the age of 50. The decision was made to ease pressure on its health service and reduce fatalities. The option to be tested instead of vaccinated has been removed. Potential sanctions for non-compliance have yet to be announced.
Endemic phase On 15 November 2022, the
Italian Minister of Health Orazio Schillaci appeared on a broadcast of
Porta a Porta where he discussed the reduction of quarantine guidelines and said Italy is in an "endemic phase of COVID, we must take the same precautions we had before for the flu". ==Lockdown areas==