Alarmed by the recent spike in coronavirus infections in the country, the Italian government has decided to tighten preventive measures, with bans on private parties and a curfew for cafes, bars and restaurants. According to new regulations, restaurants, cafes and bars will have to close at midnight, and people will no longer be allowed to gather outside their premises after 9 p.m. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte signed a decree containing the new measures overnight, Deutsche press agency (dpa) reporting citing a report carried by Italy's national news agency ANSA. According to reports, it limits attendance numbers at ceremonies like weddings, baptisms and funerals to 30 and recommends mask-wearing even at home when friends or relatives visit. The government has asked citizens to refrain from all dinners and other meetings with more than six non-household members at home, and has banned all school trips, reports said. The new rules are to apply for 30 days. In a separate move, Italy's Health Ministry on Monday lowered most coronavirus quarantine and isolation periods from 14 to 10 days, a day after experts backed the move. Until Oct. 1, Italy's coronavirus caseload remained under 2,000 per day, but numbers have since spiraled upward and went beyond 5,700 on Saturday, a near record. On Monday, the figure fell to 4,619, but post-weekend infection figures always tend to be lower due to reduced testing capacity on Saturdays and Sundays. With the latest update, Italy's total infections count reached 359,569, and overall death toll from the pandemic increased by 39, hitting 36,205. — Agencies
