The country ranks sixth highest in the world for coronavirus fatalities, with 101,184 deaths recorded, according to JHU. Stays Italy: Everything you need to know to plan the perfect end-of-year break to Rome By Ruth Wright Updated: For a foodie break with a side of culture, you cant beat Rome. Italy, once the epicenter of COVID-19 in Europe, has marked 3,149,017 COVID-19 cases in total. Only 3.08% (1,861,852 people) of Italy's eligible population has been fully vaccinated so far, with 6,219,849 doses administered, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University (JHU). On Saturday, Italy's new COVID-19 commissioner Paolo Figliuolo said, 'By this summer, all Italian adults will be vaccinated,' noting that the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, which is expected to be the next coronavirus vaccine authorized by the EU, will be 'decisive.' 'Whatever the final decision of the EMA, I can assure you that the vaccination campaign will continue with renewed intensity,' Draghi continued. 'There is currently no indication that vaccination has caused these conditions, which are not listed as side effects with this vaccine,' the EMA said in a statement on Thursday. The European drugs regulator said the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine outweigh the risks, and did not recommend suspending use. Meanwhile, some European nations have completely paused their AstraZeneca rollout while the EMA investigation continues. The health ministry said that the aim of the measures is to get the R rate - the number of people that one infected person will pass the virus onto - down to 1.ĭraghi added that 'the opinion of AIFA, shared by scientists, is that there is no evidence that these events are related to the administration of the vaccine,' he added. Regions that report weekly COVID-19 cases of more than 250 per 100,000 residents will also automatically go into lockdown, meaning that other regions could also be affected during this time period. In 'orange zones,' people will also be banned from leaving their town and their region - except for work or health reasons - and bars and restaurants will only be able to do delivery and take-away service.Īffected regions will be labelled red or orange, depending on the level of contagion. In regions demarcated as 'red zones' people will be unable to leave their houses except for work or health reasons, with all non-essential shops closed. The measures will be effective through April 6, according to a decree passed by Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi's cabinet on Friday. Half of Italy's 20 regions, which include the cities Rome, Milan and Venice, will be entering new coronavirus restrictions from Monday, March 15.

ROME - Italy is facing another lockdown, as the government attempts to contain a recent surge of coronavirus cases, marred by the presence of new variants. With Italy on the brink of a new lockdown and Germany's top disease expert warning of a third wave, recent infection spikes in Europe are driven by worrying new COVID variants.

Italy lockdown rules 2021