Hundreds of people continued to protest against the latest measures imposed by the government to contain a second wave of infections, after days of occasionally violent demonstrations in Italian cities.
Crowds of chefs and restaurateurs joined a rally in central Rome at lunchtime, kicking off coordinated protests in 24 cities organised by a business federation against rules forcing restaurants, bars, and other businesses to close their doors at 6:00 pm, while gyms and cinemas must close completely.
Protests in several cities have turned violent in recent days as football hooligans, far-right activists and others have brought trouble to otherwise peaceful demonstrations.
Meanwhile, far-right and nationalist politicians intensified their attacks on Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, accusing him of sacrificing Italy’s economy for measures that they say will not protect the country from the virus.
As Conte on Tuesday announced a €5 billion package of tax cuts and financial support for the most affected businesses, he insisted the government’s decision to close some businesses was not “indiscriminate”.
“Our choices can be legitimately criticised, we are in a democracy,” he said, but insisted the measures were necessary.
“To prevent the curve from getting out of control, it is essential to reduce the main opportunities for socialising.”
However, experts insisted even stricter measures were needed to contain the virus, amid growing warnings that the nation’s health system is starting to struggle.
Italy’s first wave of infections was concentrated mainly in the industrial north, but the virus has now spread to all parts of the country, including the poorer southern regions which don’t have the infrastructure and resources to cope.
Italy’s health ministry announced another record high number of new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, at 24,991, up from 21,994 on Tuesday.
