Italy announced Sunday the closure of nightclubs and made the wearing of masks mandatory at night in public places, to stem the rebound of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Health Minister Roberto Speranza signed a decree taking effect Monday, which orders the wearing of masks between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. in public places where “group formation” occurs.
The decree also suspends open-air discos and nightclubs.
While the threat of a resumption of the epidemic is becoming clearer in several European countries, Italy, still relatively spared, is trying, in its own way, to stem this summer resurgence at the end of the “Ferragosto”, the sacrosanct. holy weekend of August 15.
The government fears that the nightlife, which is in full swing during the “Ferragosto”, will contribute to explode the contaminations.
A standoff between government and regions over the thorny issue of nightclubs, normally crowded at this time.
Opposite, the regions were displayed divided. Calabria has ordered all dance venues to be closed. Sardinia, on the other hand, has kept everything open. Between the two, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna have stepped up inspections. Tuscany, for its part, demanded identical rules for everyone.
Closed nightclubs have never been allowed to reopen, to the chagrin of a sector that employs nearly 50,000 people for 3,000 nightclubs, according to the union of nightclub managers (Silb).
Italy, the first country in Europe to be hit by the epidemic, has recorded 254,000 cases of Covid-19 and more than 35,000 deaths.