Italy to impose nationwide curfew as COVID-19 cases surge

Few tourists are seen at the Colosseum in Rome, Italy, Nov. 4, 2020. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has signed a decree imposing a nationwide 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew as coronavirus cases continued to surge in the country. Museums, galleries, theaters, concert halls, movie theaters and betting venues must shut down, and public gatherings, celebrations, fairs, festivals and events, whether outdoors or indoors, are banned. (Xinhua/Cheng Tingting)

ROME, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has signed a decree imposing a nationwide 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew as coronavirus cases continued to surge in the country.

The decree, which was signed around midnight Tuesday and goes into effect on Nov. 5 and lasts until Dec. 3, came as new cases jumped by 28,244 and 353 COVID-19 patients lost their lives in the past 24 hours, according to the Ministry of Health.

The total number of active infections now stands at 418,142, of whom 394,803 are quarantined at home, 21,114 are hospitalized and 2,225 are in intensive care units (ICUs).

The new decree splits the country into three sectors (low risk, medium risk and high risk) with different rules according to their level of infection.

The government has not yet indicated which of Italy's 20 regions fall in which sector.

Nationwide, the new decree orders high schools to revert to online learning.

Kindergartens and elementary schools remain open and universities have leeway to decide what percentage of their students must be taught online to avoid crowding on campus.

Throughout the country, shopping malls must shut down on weekends and holidays, bars and restaurants can stay open only between 5 a.m. and 6 p.m., and public transportation must operate at 50 percent capacity.

Museums, galleries, theaters, concert halls, movie theaters and betting venues must shut down, and public gatherings, celebrations, fairs, festivals and events, whether outdoors or indoors, are banned.

As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, countries including Italy, France, China, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States are racing to find a vaccine.

According to the website of the World Health Organization, as of Nov. 3, there were 202 COVID-19 candidate vaccines being developed worldwide, and 47 of them were in clinical trials.