A worker pulls in a table from outside a cafe before closing for curfew in Milan,Italy.Credit:Bloomberg
The new emergency decree is expected to impose even stricter measures than the one imposed last week,which ordered bars and restaurants to close at 6pm,and shut gyms,cinemas and theatres.
Many cities and regions,including Milan,Turin and Naples,have also enacted local curfews,sparking social uprisings by small groups of extremist protesters.
Sergio Mattarella,the president,called for national unity during a visit to a cemetery on Sunday in northern Italy,where thieves recently stole a large bronze cross erected in memory of COVID-19 victims. While Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has repeatedly ruled out a second nationwide lockdown,he is under pressure to take more drastic action as infection rates continue to rise sharply.
On Sunday,Italy registered 29,907 new infections,with 208 deaths. There was particular concern for the city of Milan,which recorded 8047 positive cases in the last week of October,compared with 787 per week at the start of the month.
Italy introduced its strongest virus restrictions since the end of a lockdown in May,and Spain will impose new measures,including a nationwide curfew.Credit:Bloomberg
Tensions are running high within the governing coalition about whether to continue face-to-face schooling,and how to reduce crowding on public transport and bottlenecks in the testing system.