Deconfinement in southern Italy: 1000 euros fine for non-compliance with wearing a mask in a closed place
Steph Deschamps / July 26, 2020
No mask in an enclosed space, in Campania it is a fine of 1,000 euros: faced with the risk of an upsurge in Covid-19 cases and the indiscipline of its citizens on barrier gestures, the president of the Region of Naples The Italian press reported on Sunday that the first fines of 1,000 euros had fallen the day before for the owners of three businesses in Salerno (south), including a bar and a hairdresser, in which police officers found that the obligation the wearing of a mask was not respected.
"If our fellow citizens think that the problem is resolved, that means that within a few weeks we will return to a hard emergency," warned Vincenzo de Luca, the governor of Campania. "We knew that there would be an increase in contamination, it was amply expected", added the elected Friday, in a direct Facebook, a few hours before the publication of an order toughening the rules to fight against the Covid-19 epidemic.
The flagship measure of the text is a fine of 1,000 euros for anyone who does not wear a mask in an enclosed space, whether in public buildings, supermarkets, bars, restaurants, shops as well as public transport (bus, trains, subways). According to the ordinance, "transport operators are required to deny access to passengers who do not wear the mask ».
If they are on board, they must be sanctioned and "invited to disembark immediately or as soon as possible" and if they refuse, "the bus or train will be blocked" and the intervention of the police will be requested ", it is specified." If the offense is committed in the exercise of a commercial activity "(by a trader or one of his employees), the trade is exposed, in addition to the fine of 1,000 euros, to a "closure of the activity of 5 to 30 days", penalty which may be doubled in the event of a repeat offense. First affected country in Europe, Italy has paid a heavy price for the epidemic, with more than 35,000 dead and more of 242,000 cases of contamination.
The disease now seems under control, even if 275 new cases in 24 hours were announced on Saturday, as well as 5 deaths.
Credit : RTBF