Italy will see a return to 100% capacity at theaters, cinemas and cultural sites starting on Monday, October 11 when the newest government decree takes effect. Thanks to an encouraging decline in COVID infections, in addition to reaching an 80% immunization goal, restrictions on location capacity will be reduced. On the same day, discos, stadiums and sport halls will also allow a significant increase in capacity as well. Alongside all of these changes, the one meter social distance rule will also be relaxed while still requiring the use of masks.
These mandates are part of the long process to return a lifestyle as it was prior to the pandemic. In order for these new regulations to not cause an increase in infections, attendees of these establishments are required to have a Green Pass vaccination certificate. If a region falls under the “yellow zone,” however, capacity will not reach as high as areas in the “white zone.” If a region returns to orange or even red, then these establishments will close all together. Currently all regions in Italy are in the “white zone,” with the exception of Sicily, which is scheduled to return to that status also on October 11.
For cultural locations ranging from cinemas, theatres, concert halls and live music performances, capacity will reach 100% for both indoors and outdoors. In order to attend events at these locations, guests must provide a Green Pass unless they are under the age of 12, while also wearing a mask at all times.
Those who are a fan of Italy’s club scene will be happy to hear that capacity at discos and similar venues will increase to 50% indoors and 75% outdoors. Guests will require a Green Pass and will only be allowed to remove masks when stepping on the dance floor.
In the world of sports, stadiums will now allow a capacity of 75% while giving indoor arenas a capacity of 60%. As usual, a Green Pass and a mask are required. For events that are not sports-related taking place inside of stadiums, such as music concerts, regulations state that the capacity will be 75% rather than the 100% capacity permitted at cultural sites.
Prior to these changes on Monday, “white zones” have been under a mandate that has been in place since June. The regulations presented specify that theatres can only operate a50% capacity indoors and 80% outdoors. Since the outbreak of the pandemic in early 2020, discos have remained closed up to now apart from a brief reopening in August 2020. These changes have been suggested by the government’s Comitato Tecnico Scientifico (CTS), who will monitor the success of these implementations on the spread of COVID and plan accordingly. (nelson matos)