The Cts to Draghi: “Caution on the reopening of swimming pools and gyms. English variant predominant in March “

Rome – The variants push the spread of Covid – over 30% of infections in Italy are due to the English one in mid-March it will predominate throughout the country, the ISS and CTS experts told Prime Minister Mario Draghi – and the dreaded third wave materializes in several areas. High alarm, in particular, in the province of Brescia, which thus becomes a “reinforced orange” area, like 14 municipalities in Emilia Romagna; then the red areas grow in different territories while in the last 24 hours there are another 356 deaths, 82 more than yesterday, while the patients hospitalized in intensive care increase by 28.

Draghi gathered in the evening ministers and experts. We are looking for a balance between “aperturists” and “penalty takers” in view of the new provision that will have to replace the dpcm signed by Giuseppe Conte expiring on March 5: the idea would be to involve the Parliament more and therefore the path of decree. A measure to be launched in the next few days, but not before next Friday’s monitoring. The leader of the League Matteo Salvini, for his part, he insists on asking for reopening, but the Minister of Health Speranza and the CTS experts are holding back, signaling the risk of contagion, especially in light of the new variants. “We have represented the data and numbers to the Prime Minister, we are cautious, but we have not described a situation of imminent catastrophe “, said Agostino Miozzo, coordinator of the CTS, at the end of the meeting.

“We have not talked about reopening, we will talk about it on another occasion”, he added, although it is known that experts have so far been against the green light for ski lifts, cinemas and gyms. On Friday there will be new monitoring, “then we will see”, he added, even if the scenario of a national orange zone, ventilated by someone, seems to remain only a hypothesis at the moment. Meanwhile, the president of Lombardy Attilio Fontana has signed an order to establish in the province of Brescia and in some municipalities in the Bergamo area and in the province of Cremona a strengthened orange zone, “which provides, in addition to the normal measures of the orange zone, also the closure of kindergartens, elementary and middle schools, the ban on going to second homes, ‘use of smart working where possible and the closure of the activity in presence “.

Second Guido Bertolaso, in Brescia “we are facing the third wave of the pandemic and it must be attacked immediately”. Dark orange zone from Thursday also for 14 municipalities of Emilia Romagna and red zone, instead, for Torrice, in Frosinone, San Cipirello and San Giuseppe Jato (Palermo). In addition to the English one, another variant that worries is the Brazilian one: a case was discovered in a school in Rome. The virus then resumes biting in Veneto, where there is a growth in infections and hospitalizations, and in Abruzzo, where hospitalized intensive care units reach the record quota of 78. The high incidence of Covid does not stop requests to restart activities.

Salvini, who saw Prime Minister Draghi for half an hour, insists. “We talked about reopening. If there is a problem in Brescia – he explained – intervene in that province, it’s not like you do the national lockdown from Bolzano to Catania. Therefore targeted closures and a return to life. If you can have a quiet lunch, then you can have a quiet dinner. If restaurants are safe for lunch then they are safe for dinner too. And the reopening of theaters, cinemas, sports realities, gyms and swimming pools is a return to normality “. The president of Emilia Romagna and of the Conference of Regions, Stefano Bonaccini, defines Salvini’s request as” reasonable “with the aim of” give oxygen to some activities “. The desire to reopen was expressed by several ministers, from various parties, including the dem Franceschini, with Gelmini hoping for support with adequate refreshments for activities that should remain closed. On the Government table there are well present the requests of the many distressed sectors, as well as the data on infections and vaccines (still slowly, 3.6 million were administered).

Tomorrow, Wednesday 24 February, Speranza will make communications in court to the Chamber on new measures to combat the pandemic. The aim is to define the new provision by looking for a difficult point of fall between the different positions of the parties that support Draghi. Always keeping in mind the progress of the pandemic and the opinion of experts. The premier will make the summary.

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