Too many infections, too many young people infected. The virus is once again frightening and the Government could not stand by and watch, with the contagion curve which has risen again in recent days, returning to the levels of May, when we were still in full emergency. Thus the executive, with all due respect to holidaymakers and discotheque managers, has decided to close the discos until 7 September and ballrooms and to make masks mandatory from 18 to 6 even outdoors in places at risk of gatherings: too many risks of starting outbreaks which would then be transferred to big cities when returning from holidays, not being able to control every single boy.
The decision comes after a meeting with the presidents of the Regions convened by the Minister of Regional Affairs Francesco Boccia: the stop applies not only to actual discos, it is better to clarify this immediately, but to any place where dancing evenings are held, from ballrooms and including the beaches (the daytime opening is not at risk, but the evenings are). The Government had already warned the governors, that just 48 hours ago they had asked not to take any action, leaving the responsibility of taking more restrictive measures to the individual Regions, as Bonaccini and Zaia did in Emilia-Romagna and Veneto, arranging that it was only possible to dance with a mask and with half-capacity venues.
Until today only Calabria and Basilicata had closed the discos, while the other regions had succumbed to the requests of the club managers. "Four billion euros are at risk," said the Silb (Italian union for dance clubs), adding that as of today only 10% of the approximately 3.500 establishments throughout Italy had reopened. To compensate for the damage, the Government has set up a fund to compensate the managers, which totals 100 million euros.
Significantly, the singer Elettra Lamborghini has suspended all her concerts ("We are not ready") to avoid new opportunities for contagion
