“The epidemiological conditions do not allow us to relax the curbs,” Health Minister Roberto Speranza told parliament, adding that strains first discovered in Britain, South Africa and Brazil are increasingly being detected in Italy.

The government introduced a raft of restrictions before Christmas, some of which are due to expire next week.

Ministers are currently evaluating measures to be included in the forthcoming decree – the first to be released under the new government led by Mario Draghi.

Speranza said the next decree would be in force from March 5 until April 6, at the end of the Easter holidays.

He said the key RT transmission rate was close to passing the crucial 1 threshold, meaning “great prudence is still needed”.

“In this last mile we absolutely cannot let our guard down,” he added.

“At the moment there are not the epidemiological conditions to relax the measures.”

Speranza said there was a “light at the end of the tunnel” thanks to the vaccine rollout, despite delays.

Italy launched its vaccination campaign at the end of December, and has so far administered 3.7 million jabs including second shots.

In all, it has received 5.2 million shots from vaccine manufacturers, but supply delays, which have also affected other European Union states, has hampered efforts.

At the moment, hard-hit Italian towns and provinces are declaring their own rules in addition to the three-tiered regional zone classifications determined by the national government, creating a complex web of changing restrictions.

“The need for 25 local red zones was reported by five regions,” Speranza said.

“Some were decided due to the outbreaks of cases caused by the English variant, others due to the presence of the Brazilian or South African variant.

“These restrictive measures are indispensable.”

Measures enforced by regional authorities effectively mean that local lockdowns or semi-lockdowns are currently in place in parts of the following Italian regions: Lombardy, Lazio, Alto Adige, Umbria, Abruzzo, Molise, Tuscany, Piedmont and Emilia-Romagna.

Red zones are under a form of lockdown similar to the one declared across Italy in the first wave of the pandemic: residents are told to stay at home except for essentials and may not travel to other towns without an urgent reason.

Residents are allowed to go out for exercise, but should do so alone and stay close to home.

Bars and restaurants are closed except for takeaway or delivery, while only essential shops and businesses can open. 

High schools must teach remotely, though middle and elementary schools may be allowed to conduct at least some of their lessons in person.