Italy extended the regions on its 'red zone' list after breaking its record for the highest number of new daily COVID-19 infections
- Italy is facing the prospect of another potential lockdown after the country recorded 40,902 new COVID-19 infections and 550 deaths on Friday, according to reports.
- BBC News reports that Campania and Tuscany will be added to the country's "red zone" list for high-risk regions.
- Residents in these regions will join Lombardy, Bolzano, Piedmont, Aosta Valley, and Calabria, which have all been issued with a stay-at-home order.
- The Italian government's COVID-19 consultant, Walter Ricciardi, told reporters Italy has "two to three weeks to decide whether to impose a new national lockdown," the BBC reports.
Italy is preparing to add Campania and Tuscany to its list of high-risk "red zone" regions as the country faces the prospect of another national lockdown, according to BBC News.
From Sunday, residents in these regions will face a stay at home order and will not be allowed to leave unless for health reasons, essential shopping, or for emergencies, the publication reports. They will join Lombardy, Bolzano, Piedmont, Aosta Valley, and Calabria, which are all on the country's high-risk list.
The government's COVID-19 consultant, Walter Ricciardi, told reporters that Italy has "two to three weeks to decide whether to impose a new national lockdown," the BBC reports.
This comes as the country recorded 40,902 new COVID-19 cases – its highest number of new daily infections – on Friday, according to the publication.
There were a further 550 new deaths recorded in the same 24-hour period, The Local reports.
Earlier this week, healthcare staff outside Cotugno hospital, a specialist infectious disease hospital in Naples, were filmed giving oxygen to waiting COVID-19 patients in their cars.
In October, there were violent mass protests against new lockdown restrictions. The police arrested dozens of demonstrators in cities including Rome, Turin, Milan, and Naples, Business Insider's Bill Bostock previously reported.
One video posted on Twitter showed a group of people looting a Gucci store in Turin.
The regions in the country's "orange zone" (medium-high risk) include: Abruzzo, Basilicata, Liguria, Puglia, Sicily, Marche, Umbria, Emilia-Romagna, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, according to The Local.
Lazio, Molise, Sardinia, and Veneto are in the "yellow zone" (moderate risk), the publication adds.
- Read more:
- A hard-pressed Italian hospital resorted to giving oxygen to COVID-19 patients in their cars outside
- People across Italy violently protested new lockdown measures imposed after a spike in COVID-19 cases, setting fires and looting luxury stores
- Enlisted sailors aboard the Navy's aircraft carriers are at higher risk for COVID-19, new study shows
- Asian American businesses are facing racist obstacles driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. They need our support.