Italy is preparing new nationwide restrictions in response to a spike in new coronavirus cases, Health Minister Roberto Speranza said on Sunday, including a proposed ban on private parties, involving both children and adults, while Rome would also target hours for bars and restaurants to reduce people’s contagion risks.
The package of restrictions will be discussed with regions on Monday and will be included in a decree that Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte could sign as early as the evening, Speranza said.
Meanwhile, an aide to Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sunday that Germany should continue capping the number of people allowed at gatherings and clamp down on unnecessary travel as it battles rising coronavirus infections. “We must be a bit stricter in places where infection chains spread mostly, which is parties and, unfortunately, also travel,” the chancellor’s chief of staff, Helge Braun, told public broadcaster ARD.