Italy's regions impose patchwork restrictions to tame COVID surge

The northern region of Lombardy, which has borne the brunt of the contagion in Italy, decided on Monday to introduce a curfew from 11 p.m. to 5.00 a.m., to shut down late night gatherings where the virus might easily spread. Campania, which is centred on Naples, said on Tuesday it would follow suit, while the northern Piedmont region, centred on Turin, announced it would shutter shopping centres at the weekend.

Italy's southern Campania region said on Tuesday it planned to introduce a nighttime curfew from the weekend, while other areas started drawing up their own restrictions to tackle a surge in COVID-19 cases. The Italian government imposed a nationwide lockdown when the epidemic took hold in March, but with a second wave now sweeping the country it has urged local authorities to decide what is best for their own regions.

"We are in a completely different situation to the first wave," Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte told a news conference. "We must enter into the logic that restrictive measures can be arranged at a local level by regional heads and mayors when their situation becomes particularly worrying," he said.

Some local leaders have accused central government of shirking its responsibility, but mayors and regional chiefs are starting to respond. The northern region of Lombardy, which has borne the brunt of the contagion in Italy, decided on Monday to introduce a curfew from 11 p.m. to 5.00 a.m., to shut down late night gatherings where the virus might easily spread.

Campania, which is centred on Naples, said on Tuesday it would follow suit, while the northern Piedmont region, centred on Turin, announced it would shutter shopping centres at the weekend. Campania emerged largely unscathed from the initial wave of the epidemic, but has seen a recent jump in infections.

The region has already ordered the closure of all its schools until the end of October and the mayor of Naples, Luigi de Magistris, said on Tuesday Campania risked returning to a rigid lockdown because the virus was "out of control". "We have just 15 intensive care beds left," he told state broadcaster RAI.

Italy recorded 10,874 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, up from 9,338 on Monday. There were 89 deaths and 73 new patients hospitalized in the intensive care units.

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