Italy, one of the initial hotspots of the coronavirus pandemic, is set to go into event hibernation again. It joins another COVID-19 hotspot, Spain, in this regard. Health Minister Roberto Speranza had clearly mandated all indoor and outdoor party spaces to remain closed till September 7th. This follows closely on the heels of his Spanish counterpart, Salvador Illa, ordering nightclubs to shut till further notice. Spain also restricts public smoking on the streets within two meters of any other individual.
We cannot nullify the sacrifices made in past months. Our priority must be that of opening schools in September, in full safety
Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza
A surge in COVID-19 cases in both countries led to these fresh developments after an attempt to slowly tread back to normalcy. Italy has seen case numbers double in the past week itself than three weeks ago. One of the major factors influencing this Health Ministry decision is a major chunk of the affected falling under the age bracket of 40.
Both Italy and Spain allowed clubs to re-open in July. Italy has seen prominent names like Nina Kraviz, Tale of Us and Jamie Jones gracing the decks recently to packed crowds. June 15th saw the return of live music events to the country. A maximum allowable capacity of 200 people for indoors and 1000 for outdoors was deemed appropriate for permission. Alas, no more for the time being.