International, 09.03.2020

Italy quarantines Milan and Venice

In the fight against the Corona virus, Italy is locking down Milan and a number of other regions, with 16 million people affected. Are the trains from Switzerland to Italy still running? Is the border now closed? Here are some of the answers.

What has happened?
From now on, there is an immediate entry and exit ban in effect in Northern Italy! On Sunday morning, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said that the government is sealing off Lombardy and 14 other areas, including the economic metropolis of Milan and the tourist magnet Venice. He has already signed the corresponding decree.

Which regions are affected?
Quite a few: a total of 14 provinces, including those in the Emilia-Romagna and Veneto regions:


How many people are affected?
In total, more than sixteen million people are affected by the entry and exit bans.
The government's new announcements will change the everyday lives of the 60 million citizens even further, with the measures already taken, such as nationwide school closings, already affecting many people every day.

What exactly is restricted?
First of all, entry or exit to/from the indicated areas. The government also confirmed or imposed restrictions on the whole of Italy, such as the ban on cinemas, theatres, museums, demonstrations, and many other events.
According to the Ansa news agency, Conte said that mobility would not be stopped entirely, and there is no ban on flights and trains. But a trip must have a reason. and the police can stop people and ask about this.

And within the restricted areas?
Residents are no longer allowed to move around freely, even within the new restricted areas. "There is limited mobility," said Conte. You should only leave your house for a good reason. Bars and restaurants are only allowed to open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., but only if they ensure that there is a distance of at least one metre between the guests. Shop opening hours are also restricted.

How long will the ban last?
The new restricted areas will apply immediately and last until April 3, according to the newspapers. One should only enter or leave these zones for "serious and unavoidable" reasons, for example, for work or family reasons.

Photo 1: Venice and Verona are affected
Photo 2: Prime Minister Conte

Is the border between Switzerland and Italy still open?
Yes, the border is currently still open. What will happen there is still unclear. André Simonazzi, spokesman for the Federal Council, wrote on Twitter: “The Federal Council is closely monitoring developments in Italy. It is in contact with Ticino and the Italian authorities to continuously evaluate its response to these events.”
Although 67% of the Swiss questioned in a recent survey said they do not feel threatened by the virus, one in four is in favour of closing the border between Switzerland and Italy.

What about the trains between Switzerland and Italy?
These are running normally. “Passengers from Switzerland can travel to Italy without restrictions. We will continue running as long as the Italian authorities do not give us any other instructions,” said SBB spokesman Reto Schärli.

What about the cross-border commuters?
Around 70,000 cross-border commuters from northern Italy work in Ticino. These may continue to work.
People may only leave the restricted areas with valid reasons. Prime Minister Conte mentioned that those who had a job outside the restricted area were allowed to leave the country. He did not explicitly mention the cross-border commuters.
The mayor of the Lavena Ponte Tresa border community, Massimo Mastromarino, reported on Facebook that he had spoken to Attilio Fontana - the president of the Lombardy region. Cross-border commuters could continue to work in Switzerland without any problems - provided that home office working is not possible.

How does Conte justify the decision?
"We are facing a national emergency," said Conte. "We have used the maximum precautionary measures right from the start," he added. "We have two goals: to contain the spread of the infection and to avoid overloading the hospital facilities."

What is the situation in Italy?
Italy is the country with the most confirmed Sars-CoV-2 infections in Europe. Despite extensive countermeasures, the number of infected and deceased people is rising steadily. By Saturday, the authorities had counted 5,883 infected people, and 233 people have died.
In order to bring the crisis under control, the government in Rome had previously closed all the schools, kindergartens and universities in the country up to mid-March, among other measures.

Lombardy represents the heart of the Italian economy. Smaller areas with a total of around 50,000 people in the province of Lodi in Lombardy and in Veneto were declared restricted areas some time ago. This precaution is now being expanded and supplemented, said Conte.

The government's deliberations on the tightened measures lasted since Saturday. At the end of the week, there was speculation in the media in Italy about whether and how the government could expand the prohibition zones because of the Corona virus. The economy in the country has already suffered heavily from the Corona crisis. Tourism, for example, has collapsed.

This report has used material from the news agencies SDA, AFP and DPA