Premier Giuseppe Conte said Monday that there was no chance of his government imposing a new national lockdown in response to an upswing in COVID-19 cases.
"I exclude lockdowns and a say that after due consideration," Conte told reporters in Taranto.
"If the contagion curve were to keep going up, it would be possible to consider lockdowns limited to specific areas".
Conte also said his executive would try to sign off a decree on Monday evening to apply the recommendation of the CTS expert panel to reduce the coronavirus quarantine period from 14 to 10 days and bring in new measures aimed at combating contagion.
The aim is to avoid having to impose a new lockdown or other measures that would seriously damage the economy, sources said.
The interior ministry, meanwhile, has clarified that another decree making it obligatory to wear facemasks outside does not apply to people who are jogging but it does apply to those out for a stroll. There had been confusion about what was meant in the decree when it said people doing sporting activities were exempt.
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