The prospect of a 2020-style general lockdown should be averted. But the latest indications elaborated by the Technical-Scientific Committee will in any case lead the government to tighten the containment measures with the next Dpcm. In particular, we talk about closures on weekends across the country, except for the white areas, and of stricter rules not only for the red zones, but also for the yellow and orange ones, as happened for the last Christmas holidays.
But what did the Cts say? According to what was leaked at the end of the meeting on Tuesday morning, the technicians of the Committee reiterate the need to automatic mechanisms to trigger the closures not only of schools, but also of shops. The incidence of infections (i.e. the number of infections per 100 inhabitants) must become an indispensable parameter for deciding when to intervene. The goal is to lower the curve to render tracing operations are possible again of the positives.
After the surge in infections recorded in the last few days, the indications of the Cts could be implemented in full by the government, which is meeting today to take stock of any new interventions: first with the control room, then, in the following hours, with a summit between the Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, and the heads of delegation of the majority.
At the moment, there is no certainty about the upcoming measures. Much will depend on the numbers of the next 48 hours.
Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson has communicated to the European Union that, due to problems in obtaining the components of the vaccine, it may not meet the commitment to deliver 55 million doses in the second quarter. The news was released by the Reuters agency, which cites as a source a European official directly involved in confidential talks with the US company. The J&J vaccine is single-dose, can be kept at fridge temperatures and should be approved by the EMA on 11 March. Deliveries could start in April and the company has committed to deliver 200 million doses by the end of the year.
