The Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has stated that it is highly possible that the state of emergency triggered by the coronavirus crisis in Italy could be extended beyond the end of the month of July when it was provisionally due to end.
The state of emergency in Italy has been implemented in the past, normally after natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes and prior to COVID-19 most recently put in place in Venice due to flooding. The state of emergency allows the government and local authorities to perform actions or impose policies that they would normally not be permitted to undertake.
Italy’s COVID-19 state of emergency began on 31st January 2020 and has been in place ever since, initially for a period of 6 months. Regarding the possible extension to the state of emergency in Italy, Conte stated in a recent interview in Venice that "the conditions exist to extend the state of emergency due to the coronavirus after 31st July. The state of emergency serves to keep the virus under control. We have not yet decided, but we are reasonably moving in that direction," and that "a possible extension would mean that we will be able to continue to take the necessary measures, even if they are of limited scope”.
Italy started to ease the country’s strict lockdown conditions in May after months of confinement, resulting in the closure of most shops and businesses and the paralysis of daily life. Although the country is on the road to recovery towards the “new normal”, the health authorities in Italy also warn that the virus is still circulating and that citizens should not become complacent. With this, Italy still has strict border restrictions regarding who can and can't enter the country in a bid to keep the virus under control.