FILE PHOTO: Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte gestures as he holds a news conference at the end of an EU summit in Brussels, Belgium, December 11, 2020. Olivier Hoslet/Pool via REUTERS
MILAN – Italy may tighten restrictions over Christmas to limit the spread of COVID-19 infections, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Tuesday as he urged Italians to avoid “irresponsible” gatherings during the holiday period.
Italy had managed to avoid a generalized lockdown to halt the surge of the new disease since the summer, instead of imposing a more limited set of restrictions. But as the Christmas break approached, “there might be certain little adjustments, certain additional supplementary measures.”
“We have to avoid the risk of a third wave because it would be very serious,” Conte said.
He said new vaccines being brought into service would start to have a significant impact in the next few months.