The pandemic in Italy is spreading and the hypothesis of an enlargement of the red zone is becoming more concrete every day. According to the data, the variants of Covid – especially the English one, which now represents 54% of new cases – are starting the third wave: monitoring from February 24 to March 2 recorded a 33% increase in new cases and growing numbers on the hospital and intensive care front. And at the beginning of this week the situation got even worse: on Wednesday there were 20.884 cases, against 16.424 on Wednesday 24 February; last Tuesday, however, the increase compared to the same day of the previous week was about 3.500 more cases, a figure similar to that of Monday.
The countermeasures will not wait. The change of pace was once again marked by Prime Minister Mario Draghi who, by being the first to apply the new European rules, stopped AstraZeneca by prohibiting it from selling vaccines outside the EU, and in this case to Australia. Friday, with the usual review weekly of data and measurements, the Control Room of the Higher Institute of Health should announce various color changes.
In detail, Lazio, Veneto, Calabria e Puglia they risk moving from the yellow to the orange zone. Last week, in fact, in these Regions the Rt index was dangerously close to 1, a limit beyond which the modification of the zone is triggered automatically.
Emilia Romagna e Lombardia, on the other hand, the downgrading in the red zone is looming, which starting today is already a reality a Bologna and Modena.
The government's announcement of the new restrictions will arrive tomorrow, but the passages of the area will only start from Monday.
But the Lombard governor, Attilio Fontana, anticipates the Executive by signing an ordinance that will bring the whole Region into "dark orange”: starting from midnight today until March 14, all schools, except nursery schools, will be closed.
There will be limited access to commercial activities (only one member per family), a ban on using play areas inside parks and a ban on going to second homes. From Monday, in any case, the red light could go off by decision of the Government.
