The Latest: Italy enters strict 3-day lockdown over Easter

The Latest: Italy enters strict 3-day lockdown over Easter

Italy has entered a three-day strict nationwide lockdown to deter Easter travel and help prevent surges of the coronavirus

By The Associated Press

April 3, 2021, 4:17 PM

• 12 min read

FILE—In this Friday, March 5, 2021 file photo, a nurse holds a vial of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India and provided through the global COVAX initiative, at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. Kenya has ordered an immediate suspension on private importations of vaccines, citing fears that it  may lead to counterfeit inoculations getting into the country. The National Emergency Response Committee said the move is meant to ensure transparency and accountability in the process of vaccinations. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, FIle)

ROME — Italy has entered a three-day strict nationwide lockdown to deter Easter travel and help prevent new surges of the coronavirus.

Even though the Health Ministry says the rate of infections is coming down, all regions were placed into the strictest “red zone” lockdown through Monday as a precaution. The lockdown, announced last month, means restrictions on personal movement, with limited travel and visits to relatives. Non-essential shops are closed and restaurants and bars are only open for take-out.

Police set up road checks to ensure people were staying close to home. Extra patrols were ordered up to break up large gatherings in squares and parks, which over Easter weekend are usually packed with picnic goers.

Italy, where the European outbreak began, has recorded 3.6 million cases and more than 110,000 deaths from the coronavirus, more deaths than any other European country but Britain.

It has administered 10.8 million vaccines, though only 3.3 million of the country’s 60 million people have received both doses.

———

THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

— Young professionals cut ahead of older Italians for vaccine

— UK regulator reports 30 clot cases linked to AstraZeneca shot

— Ukraine hits daily high of 20,000 virus cases

— AP PHOTOS: Spain’s Seville settles for subdued Easter Week

———

Follow AP’s pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

———

HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

SAN FRANCISCO -- Volunteers in California are working to ensure thousands of farmworkers who daily toil in the fields are receiving coronavirus vaccinations.

Farmworkers are particularly vulnerable because they live in crowded housing and travel to farms in packed vehicles. Officials say most farmworkers are eager to get the vaccinations but may not have the ability to sign up online.

California was the first state to make agricultural workers eligible for vaccinations, followed by others including Washington, Michigan and Georgia. Arizona hasn’t prioritized farmworkers, but some private growers have offered vaccinations.

California is the nation’s top producer of fruits and vegetables, and its growers rely on the labor of as many as 800,000 farmworkers. Some arrive under the H2A visa program that allows employers to hire them legally, but many are hired regardless.

Researchers at Purdue University estimate about 9,000 agricultural workers in the U.S. have died of the coronavirus and nearly a half million have been infected.

———

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine recorded a new daily high of more than 20,000 coronavirus cases.

Health Minister Maxim Stepanov says 20,341 new infections were registered in the previous day, nearly 500 more than the record on Friday.

Ukraine began vaccinations late February, but only about 230,000 people have received the shots because of widespread reluctance. The sharply rising numbers prompted the mayor of the capital Kyiv to order schools and public transportation closed for two weeks starting Monday.

Overall, more than 1.7 million infections and 34,000 confirmed deaths have been recorded during the pandemic.

———

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Vaccine passports developed to verify COVID-19 immunization status have become the latest flash point for some U.S. politicians.