Covid-19: Italy, Spain move to extend curbs

Bloomberg

Italy and Spain are preparing to extend virus restrictions this week as new cases surge in the two countries that were at the epicenter of the initial wave of the coronavirus
pandemic in Europe.
In Italy, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte approved a plan to limit opening hours for restaurants, and shut entertainment centres and gyms. Italians will also be urged not to travel. The measures will begin on Monday and remain in effect until November 24.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez holds a cabinet meeting in Madrid to discuss a new state of emergency that will give the central government more powers to impose curfews and other measures. Some regional governments have requested the move because they don’t currently have the legal power to
impose curfews.
Italy and Spain had managed to tamp down the initial wave infections with some of the world’s strictest national lockdowns. The easing of those measures before the summer travel season contributed to a new wave of cases that risks overwhelming the countries’ health-care systems if unchecked. More than 70,000 people have lost their lives from the virus in the two countries, accounting for more than a third of all deaths recorded in Europe, excluding Russia.
Sanchez last week signalled that infections in Spain may be much more pervasive than the official data show. More than 3 million people in Spain have caught the virus, he said in a statement, a figure some three times higher than
official numbers.
For his part, Conte has repeatedly ruled out a new national lockdown in Italy, but he is running out of options as less restrictive measures have failed to damp the latest spread. New infections rose to a record 19,644 on Saturday and there are now more than 1,100 people being treated in intensive care units for the virus.
The Italian government may also adopt new support measures to limit the economic impact of the virus, Finance Minister Roberto Gualtieri said. The government is mulling a 4- to 5 billion-euro ($4.7 billion to $5.9 billion) emergency decree to aid workers by extending furloughs and banning dismissals, according to people familiar with the matter.