Italian region introduces €1,000 fine for breaking quarantine
Veneto says it will fine people who flout quarantine rules up to €1,000, amid a new outbreak of coronavirus in the region.
The north-eastern region around Venice has seen infections rise in the past week in an outbreak traced back to a resident who returned from an overseas trip and refused to go to hospital despite showing symptoms, The Local reports.
In a new ordinance issued on Monday, regional governor Luca Zaia set a fine of €1,000 for anyone who breaks quarantine rules – even if they have tested negative for the new coronavirus.
If someone is caught leaving isolation to go to work, their employer is liable to pay €1,000 for every employee exposed.
Meanwhile health authorities are obliged to report anyone who tests positive but refuses to isolate to the police for possible criminal charges.
A 14-day quarantine is obligatory for anyone who enters Veneto from outside the EU, Schengen Zone or UK. People who come into contact with someone who tests positive for the coronavirus, or who show symptoms of being sick with Covid-19, must also self-isolate for at least two weeks.
On top of quarantining, people who travel for work must test negative twice before being allowed to return to their workplace as normal.
Veneto's new ordinance comes as the region's effective reproduction number (Rt) rose from 0.43 to 1.63 by Friday. If a disease is to be wiped out, epidemiologists say the Rt needs to be below 1.