Almost three months after the start of the lockdown and 33,530 deaths, another of the prohibitions still in force falls: it returns to circulate freely throughout Italy "without conditions", with the citizens of the Schengen area and of Great Britain who can come to our country without quarantine and without restrictions other than those in force for everyone: prohibition of gathering, maintaining interpersonal distance and use of the mask in closed places. "Today it seems a conquest - says Minister for Regional Affairs Francesco Boccia - but we did it with everyone's sacrifice and without forgetting the victims and health workers who worked incredibly".
The reopening of regional borders does not mean, however, that the virus is defeated, as the numbers once again confirm: in the face of a daily increase of 'only' 55 victims (the lowest figure since March 2), six regions plus the province of Bolzano without death, less than 40 thousand currently positive and 160 thousand recovered, the infections return to rise. It is true that yesterday's bulletin discounted the few swabs performed on Sunday, but it is equally evident that the increase has been seen since from 178 cases it has reached 318. With the North West and Lombardy making a run different from the rest of Italy: 8 regions (Puglia, Trentino Alto Adige, Umbria, Sardinia, Valle d'Aosta, Calabria, Molise and Basilicata) do not have new infections, seven others have less than ten while Lombardy, Piedmont and Liguria together they have 259 out of 318, 81.4% of the total. Lombardy alone has 58.8% of it.
"On the one hand there is happiness in seeing that our cities are repopulating but on the other there is the sense of responsibility that we representatives of the institutions must have and ask for," says Boccia, therefore asking the Italians to still be careful , also because the costs paid so far to the virus "have been very high" and errors cannot be afforded.
Today therefore Phase 3 begins, which will be very different from how much Italy has been forced to close at home but which will not yet be the norm we all knew before February 20. A more complex phase in which Italians' behavior and sense of responsibility will be fundamental, perhaps more than before. There will also be a series of innovations concerning the railway stations. With a decree signed by the Minister of Transport Paola De Micheli, the measurement of fever becomes mandatory tomorrow for those traveling with High Speed or intercity trains: there will be dedicated entrances to the stations and, in case you have more than 37, 5 ° C, access on board the train will not be allowed.
Fundamental in this new phase will also be the ability of regional health systems to identify new cases as soon as possible and isolate any new outbreaks. Each Region will be able to act autonomously, always in compliance with the measures decided at national level, and decide through which instrument to increase or improve controls. "It is right - Boccia underlines - that every regional president strengthens his health control and prevention systems". There are those who have equipped themselves with contact tracing, such as Lazio, some with a regional App, such as Sicily, some with a questionnaire and a platform for registering those arriving, such as Sardinia. Next week, 'Immuni', the contact tracing app chosen by the government, will also be running: from 8 in the four regions where the trial will start (Liguria, Marche, Abruzzo and Puglia), after a few days in the rest of the 'Italy. "I studied well how Immuni works - says the epidemiologist Pierluigi Lopalco, head of the Apulian task force - and I advise you not to download it if you are not interested in knowing that you have come into contact with a potentially contagious, and you care about your health and that of those around you. In all other cases, use it. "
Compulsory registration, and not voluntary, for those arriving in Sardinia with a questionnaire that also tracks any internal movements. The questionnaire must be completed online on the Region website before departure, or through the "Safe Sardinia" app for tracking contacts on a voluntary basis. This is what the order, signed yesterday late at night, by Governor Christian Solinas, provides. A copy of the registration receipt must be attached to the boarding pass and identity document.
"Today is a very significant date, as of today Italians will be able to move freely throughout the country, between all regions. This is also an important message of reassurance, which we give as Italy to the whole world. A country that starts again and is preparing to return to normal. The total openness of the country allows us to show foreign states a united and compact Italy, within which it is possible to move freely ". Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio writes on Facebook .