An Italian virologist is concerned about the increase in the incidence of Covid-19

In several cities, with the onset of unexpectedly good weather, people have ignored this weekend the call of the Italian Institute of Health to stay at home, crowded with streets, parks and beaches.

“Of course that worries me,” Masimo Galli, a Milan virologist, told Rome’s Il Messaggero newspaper. “All the data show an increase in new cases, mainly due to the English variant of the virus.”

As of Sunday, three more Italian regions are included in the so-called orange risk category, which includes significant travel restrictions and the closure of bars and restaurants. As a result, nine out of 20 regions in the country are already in this category, while the rest still belong to the yellow category. Some regions have even identified red or high-risk areas in part of their territory to isolate the worst affected areas.

Since the start of the pandemic, some 2.9 million infections have been reported in Italy and the new coronavirus disease, Covid-19, has claimed 95,718 lives.