COVID 19 update: Italy bans Christmas midnight mass and travel between regions

In a bid to control the COVID-19 spread, Italy has announced to ban Christmas midnight mass and travel between regions from 21 December to 6 January. Not only this, a curfew from 10 PM to 5 AM will also be placed during this period and restaurants in some regions will be allowed until 6 PM only for takeaways. In addition to this, ski slopes in the country are also shut until 7 January, 2021.

The Italian government is now worried about Christmas when people will want to meet their loved one, gather and celebrate. Sandra Zampa, Junior Health Minister, said that Christmas Eve mass must end by 8:30 PM so that people can be home before 10 PM before curfew starts. He also said that people should not invite non-family members over for Christmas. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said, "We cannot let down our guard. We must eliminate the risk of a third wave which could arrive in January - and not less serious than the first and the second."
Exceptions will be made only for work travel, medical reasons or emergencies. On Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day, Italians won’t be allowed to leave their hometowns to celebrate.

But not everyone is happy with these new COVID-19 curbs. The regional authorities have criticised the move in a joint statement and said that they were consulted before making the decision. The statement reads, "The lack of discussion has made it impossible to balance the curbs with the needs of families".
All these strict curbs were announced by a health ministry official on Wednesday after Italy recorded its highest daily death toll since the COVID-19 started with 993 fatalities.