Italy announced on Sunday the closure of nightclubs and made the wearing of masks mandatory at night in public places, to stem the rebound of the coronavirus pandemic.
Health Minister Roberto Speranza signed a decree effective Monday, which orders the wearing of masks between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. in public places where "group formation" occurs. The decree also suspends open-air discos and nightclubs.
Arm wrestling between the government and the regions
While the threat of a resumption of the epidemic is becoming clearer in several European countries, and Spain is closing its nightclubs, Italy, still relatively spared by the rebound of the epidemic, is trying, in its own way , to stem this summer resurgence in the middle of “Ferragosto”, the sacrosanct weekend of August 15. Covid-19 requires, the traditional midnight baths and bonfires on the beach have been banned this year.
A standoff between government and regions over the thorny issue of nightclubs, normally crowded at this time. The government fears that the nightlife, which is in full swing during the "Ferragosto", will contribute to explode the contaminations, as in Spain.
Closed discos have never been allowed to reopen, to the chagrin of a sector which employs nearly 50,000 people for 3,000 nightclubs, according to the union of nightclub managers (Silb). But the open-air discotheques were functioning again, to the appreciation of the mayors and governors of the regions.
Keeping clubs open "is a serious risk," government sources recognized in the press, while regions were divided on the issue, between supporters of maintaining dance places and more cautious regions having opted for their closure.
Bars and clubs, "happy contagious machines"
Friday, a compromise was finally found: put the problem back to a few days, after "Ferragosto".
The Italian press wondered this weekend about this "DIY". "The contagion is on the rise, but we are dancing", criticized the Corriere Della Sera, particularly critical of Sardinia, where bars and clubs have become "happy contagious machines".
For scientists consulted by the government, open-air nightclubs "must be closed" because gatherings of sweaty revelers are potentially "devastating".
From Monday, revelers, but also all Italians and tourists in the country, must wear a mask in public places between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Italy, the first country in Europe to be hit by the epidemic, has recorded 254,000 cases of Covid-19 and more than 35,000 deaths.
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