Covid-19, the Dpcm of 1 March 2020 in the official gazette. All containment measures by zone

On 1 March, the Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte, adopted his own decree, currently being published, which implements and extends some of the measures already adopted for the containment and management of the epidemiological emergency from COVID-19 and introduces further ones , aimed at regulating the framework of interventions in a unitary way and guaranteeing uniformity throughout the national territory in the implementation of prophylaxis programmes.

The decree of the President of the Council of Ministers (dpcm) was adopted, in implementation of decree-law 23 February 2020, no. 6, on the proposal of the Minister of Health, Roberto Speranza, having consulted the competent Ministers and the Presidents of the Regions, and takes into account the indications formulated by the specifically constituted Technical-Scientific Committee.

The text distinguishes the measures on the basis of the geographical areas of intervention.

1. Measures applicable in the municipalities of the "red zone" (Bertonico; Casalpusterlengo; Castelgerundo; Castiglione D'Adda; Codogno; Fombio; Maleo; San Fiorano; Somaglia; Terranova dei Passerini; Vo')

For these municipalities the following is established:

• the prohibition of access or removal from the municipal area;
• the suspension of demonstrations, events and any form of meeting in public or private places, including those of a cultural, recreational, sporting and religious nature;
• the closure of educational services for children and schools of all levels, as well as higher education institutions, including universities and institutions of higher artistic, musical and dance training, without prejudice to the possibility of carrying out distance learning activities;
• the suspension of educational trips in Italy or abroad until 15 March;
• the suspension of the public opening services of museums and other institutes and places of culture;
• the suspension of the activities of public offices, without prejudice to the provision of essential and public utility services, in the manner and within the limits indicated by the prefect;
• the suspension of public and private insolvency proceedings, called and in progress in the same municipalities;
• the closure of all commercial activities, with the exception of those of public utility, essential public services and commercial establishments for the purchase of basic necessities, in the manner and within the limits indicated by the prefect;
• the obligation to access essential public services and shops for the purchase of basic necessities by wearing personal protective equipment or adopting particular precautionary measures identified by the competent health authority;
• the suspension of goods and passenger transport services, including non-scheduled ones, with the exclusion of the transport of basic necessities and perishable goods and without prejudice to any derogations provided by the prefects;
• the suspension of work activities for companies, with the exception of those that provide essential and public utility services, including veterinary activities, as well as those that can be carried out at home or remotely;
• the suspension of the performance of work activities for resident or domiciled workers, even de facto, in the municipality or area concerned, even if they take place outside the area.

In the same municipalities, the prefect, in agreement with the competent authorities, can identify specific measures aimed at guaranteeing the activities necessary for the breeding of animals and the production of foodstuffs and the activities that cannot be deferred as they are connected to the biological cycle of plants and animals.

Finally, in the offices included in the districts of the Court of Appeal to which the municipalities of the "red zone" belong, until 15 March 2020, the possibility is envisaged for the heads of the judicial offices, having consulted the administrative managers, to establish the reduction of the opening hours to the public, in relation to activities not strictly connected to urgent acts and activities.

2. Measures applicable in the Emilia Romagna, Lombardy and Veneto regions and in the provinces of Pesaro and Urbino and Savona

For these regions and provinces the following is established:

• the suspension of sporting events and competitions of all types and disciplines, until 8 March 2020, in public or private places, unless they take place "behind closed doors". Training sessions are still allowed, always "behind closed doors";
• the prohibition of organized travel by fans residing in the same regions and in the provinces of Pesaro and Urbino and Savona, to attend sporting events and competitions that take place in the remaining regions and provinces;
• the suspension, until 8 March 2020, of all organized events of a non-ordinary nature, as well as events in public or private places, including those of a cultural, recreational, sporting and religious nature, even if held in closed places but open to the public, such as, for example, major events, cinemas, theatres, discos, religious ceremonies;
• it is permitted to carry out the activities in the ski areas on condition that the operator limits access to the closed transport systems ensuring the presence of a maximum of people equal to one third of the capacity (funiculars, cable cars, cable cars, etc.);
• the opening of places of worship is subject to the adoption of organizational measures such as to avoid gatherings of people, taking into account the size and characteristics of the places, and such as to guarantee visitors the possibility of respecting the distance between them of at least one meter ;
• the suspension, until 8 March 2020, of early childhood education services and educational activities in schools of all levels, as well as attendance at school and higher education activities, including universities and institutions of higher artistic and musical education and dance, of professional courses, masters, courses for the health professions and universities for the elderly, with the exception of doctors in specialist training and trainees in the health professions, except for the possibility of distance learning;
• the suspension of public and private bankruptcy procedures, with the exception of cases in which the assessment of candidates is carried out exclusively on a curricular basis and/or electronically, as well as with the exclusion of competitions for healthcare personnel, including state and qualification to practice the profession of surgeon, and those for civil protection personnel;
• the performance of catering, bar and pub activities, provided that the service is provided for seating only and that, taking into account the size and characteristics of the premises, the patrons are put in a position to respect the distance between them at least one meter;
• the opening of commercial activities other than those of restaurants, bars and pubs, conditional on the adoption of organizational measures such as to allow access to the aforementioned places in a restricted manner or in any case suitable for avoiding gatherings of people, taking into account the size and characteristics premises open to the public, and such as to guarantee visitors the possibility of respecting the distance of at least one meter between visitors;
• the opening to the public of museums and other institutes and places of culture, provided that they ensure limited use methods or in any case such as to avoid gatherings of people, taking into account the size and characteristics of the premises open to the public, and such that the visitors can respect the distance between them of at least one meter;
• the limitation of visitors' access to hospitalization areas, by the hospital health directorates;
• the strict limitation of visitor access to guests in nursing homes for the non self-sufficient;
• the suspension of ordinary leave of health and technical personnel, as well as personnel whose activities are necessary to manage the activities required by the crisis units set up at regional level;
• the obligation to give preference, when conducting meetings or gatherings, to remote connection methods with particular reference to health and social care facilities, public utility services and coordinations activated in the context of the COVID-19 emergency.

3. Measures applicable in the provinces of Bergamo, Lodi, Piacenza and Cremona

For these provinces, the closure on Saturdays and Sundays of medium and large sales structures and commercial establishments in shopping centers and markets is established, with the exception of pharmacies, parapharmacies and food outlets.

4. Measures applicable in the Lombardy region and in the province of Piacenza

In these territories, the measure of the suspension of the activities of gyms, sports centres, swimming pools, swimming centres, wellness centres, spas (with the exception of the provision of services falling within the "essential levels of assistance"), cultural centres, community centers, recreation centers.

5. Measures applicable throughout the national territory

Within the whole national territory it is established:

• the possibility that the "agile working" method is applied, for the duration of the state of emergency, by employers to every employment relationship, even in the absence of the individual agreements envisaged;
• the suspension until 15 March of educational trips, exchange or twinning initiatives, guided tours and educational outings, however named, scheduled by educational institutions of all levels, with the provision of the right of withdrawal from contracts already stipulated ;
• the obligation, until 15 March, to present the medical certificate for readmission to schools of all levels for absences due to infectious disease;
• the possibility, for the headmasters of schools in which teaching activities have been suspended due to the health emergency, to activate remote teaching methods, having consulted the teaching staff and for the duration of the suspension, also with regard to specific needs of students with disabilities;
• the remote performance, where possible and with particular regard to the specific needs of students with disabilities, of educational or curricular activities in Universities and Institutions of higher artistic, musical and dance training in which the participation of students in them is not permitted, for needs related to the health emergency;
• the extension of the deadlines set for taking the driving test in favor of candidates who were unable to take it due to the health emergency;
• the appropriate support of the territorial divisions of the National Health Service to the Ministry of Justice, also through adequate safeguards, in order to guarantee new entries into prisons and penal institutions for minors.

Furthermore, the text prescribes, for the entire national territory, further information and prevention measures:

• health personnel comply with the prevention measures for the spread of respiratory infections and apply the indications for the sanitation and disinfection of environments provided by the Ministry of Health;
• in educational services for children, in schools of all types and levels, in universities, in the offices of the remaining public administrations, information on the prevention measures made known by the Ministry of Health;
• in public administrations and, in particular, in the areas of access to health service facilities, as well as in all places open to the public, disinfectant solutions for washing hands are made available to employees, as well as users and visitors;
• the mayors and trade associations promote the dissemination of information on health and hygiene prevention measures in commercial establishments;
• public transport companies, including long-distance ones, adopt extraordinary measures to sanitize vehicles;
• in carrying out public and private bankruptcy procedures, where the completion is permitted, methods must in any case be ensured such as to avoid gatherings of people;
• anyone who has entered Italy, starting from the fourteenth day prior to the date of publication of this decree, after having stayed in areas at epidemiological risk, as identified by the World Health Organization, or who has transited or stopped in the municipalities of the "zone red", he must communicate this circumstance to his general practitioner, to the pediatrician of free choice or to the competent public health services, who proceed accordingly, according to the protocol provided in detail by today's dpcm itself.

Finally, with the entry into force of this decree of the President of the Council of Ministers, the validity of all the previous ones, adopted in implementation of the decree-law of 3 February 2020, n. 6.

Overall, in addition to today's dpcm, the provisions currently in force, approved by the Government following the international health emergency, are as follows:

• decree-law, currently being published, approved by the Council of Ministers on 28 February 2020, with the first urgent economic measures to support families, workers and businesses;
• decree-law of 23 February 2020, n. 6, published in the Official Gazette, which introduces urgent measures regarding the containment and management of epidemiological emergencies at a national level, implemented with today's dpcm;
• resolution of the Council of Ministers of 31 January 2020 declaring a state of emergency as a consequence of the health risk associated with the onset of pathologies deriving from transmissible viral agents;
• ordinance of the Minister of Health of 30 January 2020 relating to the blocking of direct flights to and from China.

Finally, the Government is preparing further measures, soon to be approved, for the economic support of citizens, families and businesses, connected to the health emergency due to the spread of COVID-19, and more globally for the country's economic growth.

Source: www.governo.it