As nightlife resumed in parts of Europe over the past several weeks, many worried of a COVID-19 resurgence. Now among them are public health officials in Italy and Spain who have responded to increased numbers by reissuing event bans.
Reuters reports that Spanish health minister Salvador Illa ordered the closure of nightclubs in all regions of the country on Friday, August 14th. The restrictions also forbid outdoor smoking in areas where social distancing is not possible, in addition to other measures.
Italy’s ban followed on Sunday, August 16th. According to Corriere della Sera, Italian Minister of Health Roberto Speranza issued a ban on indoor and outdoor events until September 7th at the earliest.
COVID-19 figures published by the World Health Organization indicate that Spain’s case count by day crept back into the thousands in mid-July. Friday saw 7,550 new cases confirmed with 26 deaths attributed to the virus – the highest daily count of each since April and June, respectively.
In Italy – the hardest-hit European country in the early months of the pandemic – confirmed cases remain in the hundreds. Sunday saw a single-day death toll of 158, however, after single-day fatality counts mostly remained in the single digits over the past six weeks.
In France, where confirmed cases have exceeded 3,000 the past three days, no nightlife bans have been announced as of this writing.
Image credit: Alexander Popov
