Mandatory face masks and the new anti-Covid rules in Italy

This post was last updated on November 5, 2020.

Over the course of the last few weeks, a spike in Covid-19 cases throughout Italy has made it necessary to has made it imperative to tighten the health and safety measures to prevent the spread of contagions

Regional President/Governor of Lazio (the region where Rome is located) Nicola Zingaretti announced that face masks would become mandatory outdoors starting on October 3rd.

The whole of the country followed suit a few days after: wearing a face mask is not an option anymore, and you can only take it out in private residences/hotel rooms/your lodging. This obligation extends to foreigners currently in Italy.

Please note that there are fines between 400 and 1000 Euros for those not complying.

Who is exempted from this requirement?

The rule excludes all children under the age of six, people with a condition that is not compatible with the use of a face mask, and those who are playing professional sports.

Are there any other mandatory rules in Italy at this time?

The Italian government has approved a number of public health decrees between October 13 and November 4 as a reaction to the growing rate of contagions.

The most important (and recent) decisions imply the division of the Italian regions into three categories, marked yellow, orange and red. Red regions will have the most restrictions, which include the closing down of all non-essential shops.

The Lazio region has been deemed a yellow region due to its limited number of cases compared to other areas. Because of this, the restrictions launched by mid-October stay essentially the same. See below for those and the newest ones (bottom of the list).

• Banning of all parties, whether private or in a public setting
• Religious and civil ceremonies can still take place but with no celebrations/ no guests until December 3
• Restaurants, bars, cafes, pastry shops, bakeries will only open from 5AM to 6PM. Food delivery is allowed until 10PM.
• Movie screenings, concerts, theatre plays are paused until December 3. Clubs remain closed. Major sporting events can still go on without a live audience.
• People are strongly recommended (not banned) not to travel outside of their city of residence, unless it’s for absolutely urgent reasons (a family emergency, a health issue…)
• Gyms, pools, spas and entertainment centers like casinos will stay closed at least until December 3.
• All eateries can have a maximum of 4 people per table (they can have more only if they live in the same household) and will have to close down by 6PM. They can still deliver their food after that time (See our post on delivery services here).
• Museums will close down, along with archaeological landmarks and areas, until December 3.
• Public transport authorities will commit to have buses, trains and subway trains only carry up to 50% commuters.
• Malls are to stay closed on the weekends, with exceptions made for pharmacies, supermarkets and other essential services within these establishments.

On top of the above, a national curfew will be in effect between 10PM and 5AM.

People found outside during the curfew will need to carry a “self-declaration” to prove why they are out and about. The form (in Italian) for the area including Rome can be found here. Please note that only commuters and people coming/going to/from a hospital will be allowed to circulate.

You’re obviously still required to maintain a strict social distancing wherever you go. Informally, more people are going back to wearing latex gloves on public transportation, so if you feel safer this way, go for it!

We at From Home to Rome will keep updating you about any developments in legislation related to Covid-19 as soon as it is approved.

What are the requirements for those wanting to go to Italy?

For those wondering what to do when entering Italy and whether they’re allowed in the country at all, the latest guidelines from the Italian government are here (the document is in English and is constantly updated).

Certain travelers are currently banned to enter the country, while others are requested to either present a declaration that they have taken a swab test, with a negative result, within 72 hours from entering Italy or take one upon entrance at the airport, port, or any other border location.

At From Home to Rome we’ve been having many guests taking a swab test at the airport at Fiumicino and the whole thing was done in a matter of minutes and they were extremely satisfied with how the procedure was handled!

Italy: only taking a short break!

We would also like to point out how borders are still open in Italy as compared to other countries worldwide where rules are not being followed as strictly, where a much higher rate of contagions is being experienced.

In spite of these new restrictions, the situation is largely under control in our country, and particularly in the Lazio area: the new decrees have been considered necessary to avoid overloading the hospitals all over the country.

What’s more, many governments as well as global organizations have been praising our government’s handling of the pandemics for some time now:

• German Chancellor lauding Italy
• Mask wearing among Italy’s reason for success (China Global Television Network)
• Italy resists second wave (The Wall Street Journal)
• WHO praising Italy