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Covid-19: facing Omicron, Italy once again imposes the mask outside

2021-12-23T22:01:47.789Z


The mask providing superior protection, the FFP2, would become mandatory for going to the cinema, the theater, sporting events


After Spain on Wednesday, here is the turn of Italy.

The government decided on Thursday to make it compulsory to wear a surgical mask outside throughout Italy, Health Minister Roberto Speranza announced after a Council of Ministers.

"It is a difficult phase" that the country is going through in the face of the outbreak of contaminations due to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, he acknowledged, assuring that the new measures "can create stronger protection for our population and our sanitary system ”.

The Minister of Health did not say from when this measure would be applied, but he added that the mask providing superior protection, the FFP2, would become compulsory for going to the cinema, the theater, sporting events or in public transport, buses, coaches, planes or ships.

Regarding restrictions, in addition to the obligation to wear a mask, parties and events involving the participation of many people are prohibited until the end of January, even outside, thus canceling all the concerts that are generally held in Italy for New Year's Eve. An. Nightclubs and other venues of this kind will also remain closed until January 31st.

"Very widespread sources of contamination"

The government has also decided to reduce from February 1, 2022 the duration of the health pass from nine to six months and to further reduce the time to receive the booster dose. Established initially at six months, it has already been reduced to five months and should now increase to four. The date of entry into force of this four-month period will soon be decided, said Roberto Speranza.

According to a report released Thursday by the Higher Institute of Health (ISS), the Omicron variant accounts for around 28% of cases in Italy. "Even if the results are still preliminary, the estimate confirms the high speed of diffusion of this variant which seems to cause very extensive foci of contamination in a short time and is about to quickly become the predominant variant, as it is already. the case in several other European countries ”, commented the president of the ISS Silvio Brusaferro, quoted in a press release.

Italy is one of the European countries to have paid the heaviest price for the pandemic with more than 136,000 deaths.

Despite a high vaccination rate - over 85% of the population over 12 years of age is fully vaccinated, almost 89% including those who have received at least one dose and 3.5% of 5-11 year olds already vaccinated within a few days - the number of new cases continues to increase.

They were more than 16,000 Monday, more than 30,000 Tuesday, more than 36,000 Wednesday and more than 44,000 cases Thursday, according to figures from the Ministry of Health.

Source: leparis

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