Conte: Follow new virus rules to avoid 2nd lockdown

The Italian prime minister urged citizens to follow the rules and respect the new restrictions in order to avoid a second national lockdown amid a resurgence of COVID-19 infections across Italy. During a news conference in Rome on Tuesday, Giuseppe Conte defended the decision to impose the new restrictions, which include regional curfews, evening shutdowns for restaurants and bars, and the closures of gyms, swimming pools and theaters.

"In order to avoid the (epidemiological) curve slipping through our fingers, it is necessary to reduce the social relations,'' he said. He also said it was vital to avoid seeing the hospital system overwhelmed with new coronavirus patients. The last several nights have seen protests in some Italian cities, reflecting anger about overnight curfews in some of Italy’s regions

Conte commented on the protests saying his government ''cannot agree'' with the violence sparked across the country. ''I believe all the good Italians do not agree with that,'' he added, ''including all those who are suffering, who are now on the streets, they have no interest in being the instrument of those who seek to take advantage of the malaise and incite all the good people to turn violent."