Italy suspends use of outdoor masks from June 28 – News

Italy, one of the European countries hardest hit by the pandemic COVID-19On Monday (21), the Minister of Health announced the end of the mandatory use of outdoor masks as of June 28.

“As of June 28, we will end the obligation to use the mask outdoors,” Roberto Speranza announced on his Facebook account, noting that the decision would apply in areas classified as a “white zone”, where the virus is low. Currently, the measure will be applied throughout Italy except for the Aosta Valley (North).

The announcement follows a positive opinion from the Scientific Technical Committee, which advises the government on the pandemic.

This team considered that a mask is no longer mandatory in white areas, but a mask should always be on hand in situations where a large number of people are concentrated.

Experts forecast that by June 28, all regions of Italy will be the white zone. On Monday, Italy recorded 21 deaths and 495 cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Some areas did not record deaths.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Italy, with a population of 60 million, has recorded 127,291 deaths and 4.25 million infections. Currently, 30% of the population over 12 years of age, which is about 16 million people, is vaccinated.