The regions at risk of losing their lowest-risk “white zone” status and slipping back into “yellow zone” restrictions were identified by Italian daily Corriere della Sera as Campania, Lazio, Sardinia, Sicily and Veneto.
Under the current system, to be classified as a white zone a region must have registered fewer than 50 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants for three consecutive weeks.
If this figure is exceeded the region passes from the white zone, where minimal restrictions apply, to a yellow zone, with stricter rules in place.
However, the government is expected to shift the parameters for classifying white zones – even if the data is higher than 50 cases per 100,000 people – by switching the focus to the number of patients in hospital.
On July 16, the weekly monitoring report from Italy’s Higher Health Institute (ISS) and the health ministry revealed that the national reproduction rate and incidence rate had both risen significantly.
Franco Locatelli, head of the Higher Health Council (CSS), told Italian daily La Repubblica on Sunday that gatherings for the Euro 2020 football championship have favoured the spread of the virus, particularly in Rome.
The national team flew back to Rome with the trophy and managed to organise an open-top bus ride through the city streets, much to the irritation of the local authorities, who insisted they had not given the all-clear for this amid security concerns.
New daily cases in the Italian capital have more than doubled since mass celebrations of Italy’s victory; on Tuesday, 577 new cases were recorded in the previous 24 hours, up from 122 on July 11.
Meanwhile, the Lazio region surrounding Rome recorded a total of 681 new cases in the previous 24 hours, up from 164 on July 11.
The rise in cases in Italy is being fuelled by the highly contagious Delta variant which is “primarily hitting young people”, according to Gianni Rezza, director general at the ministry of health.
However, ISS president Silvio Brusaferro said that, for the moment, “the impact of the illness on hospital admissions remains minimal”.
There are currently 165 COVID-19 patients in intensive care across the country, according to Italian news agency ANSA.
The Italian government is also set to expand the use of its COVID-19 health pass this week.
The change could make showing a digital “green pass” compulsory to access domestic flight, long-distance trains, nightclubs, gyms, sports stadiums and even possible indoor seating in restaurants.
