Coronavirus epidemic in Italy | Several regions …

Coronavirus infections in Italy continue to rise and on the last day, 20,499 new positives and 253 deaths were confirmed, according to the latest bulletin from the Ministry of Health, and various regions will increase their restrictions in this context.

A total of 2,888,923 people have been infected since the start of the health emergency a year ago. This Wednesday there were also 253 deaths, 55 fewer than yesterday, bringing the total to 97,227 dead. Since yesterday, 20,499 new cases of coronavirus have been registered, 613 more than Thursday, after several days of increase, despite the fact that the number of tests is lower, almost 30,000 less.

However, the pressure on hospitals is increasing and several have already exceeded the alert level. Current 404,664 patients with covid-19, 18,292 are hospitalized, 61 more than the day before and 2,194 people are in intensive care, 13 more than the day before.

The continuing vaccination campaign in Italy reaches the total of 3,998,727 doses inoculated throughout the country. In addition, 1,370,373 have already received the full vaccine and consider themselves immune.

This marks the fourth week in a row with infections on the rise in Italy, affected by variants of the virus, and it is expected that the ministry will confine in “red zone”, the areas at maximum risk, the regions of Molise (center) and Basilicata (sure).

Those in the “orange zone” or intermediate risk will also increase, to which will be added Lombardy Yes Piamonte (north) and the Marches (center). In the case of Lombardy, the provinces of Brescia and of Bergamo, that last symbol of tragedy a year ago.

Among the orange areas were already Emilia-Romaña, Liguria, Tuscany and the autonomous provinces of Bolzano and Trentino (North), Campania (south) and the Abruzzo and Umbria (center). The rest of the regions, such as Lazio, with Rome as its capital, will remain a “yellow zone” or low risk. For the first time a region, the island of Sardinia, could be declared a “white zone”, the new classification of territories practically without limits.

On the other hand, the Prime Minister, Mario draghi, named Fabrizio Curcio Alternate Civil Protection Officer Angelo Borelli, the one who is responsible for giving the daily figures to the country every day in the worst months of the health emergency.

Meanwhile, despite the growth of infections, the Italian Minister of Culture, Dario Franceschini, announced on Friday that Italy would reopen its cinemas and theaters from March 27 in areas with the lowest risk of coronavirus contagion, after obtaining the approval of technicians advising the government.

The technical and scientific committee accepted Franceschini’s request to reopen cinemas and theaters, but a series of security criteria must be met, which will now have to be stipulated by the executive in a decree. The minister announced that these cultural spaces will open from March 27 World Theater Day, and since then museums will also be allowed to reopen on weekends, by reservation.

Last Wednesday, the head of Culture sent scientific advisers a series of protocols to obtain permission to reopen cinemas, theaters and concert halls when before. Reopening will only be possible in areas considered to be “yellow areas”, areas of Italian territory with the lowest risk of contagion, such as the capital, Rome, where the limitations are lower.

Cinemas and theaters must significantly reduce their capacity and the use of a mask will be mandatory. Theaters are trying to avoid bankruptcy after being closed for nearly a year after the pandemic broke, except between June 15 and October 26, when they open.

During that time, they stopped receiving 60 million people in their rooms, which is about losses of 420 million euros (around 510 million dollars) at the box office, according to the managers’ association ANEC in a parliamentary report last November.