Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza on Friday night signed a new ordinance making the regions of Friuli Venezia Giulia and Veneto orange areas.
The Campania region, which includes Naples, will be classified as a red zone, joining the Basilicata and Molise regions at the highest risk level.
The changes will take effect on Monday, March 8th.
Meanwhile, the Lombardy region declared itself a ‘fortified orange’ zone from Friday.
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In red and orange areas, restaurants and bars have been closed, except for takeaway and delivery.
In orange zones, shops are open, although shopping malls are closed on public holidays.
In red areas, schools and hairdressers will also close under new rules announced in Italy’s latest emergency decision this week.
Sardinia remains the only ‘white’ region with low risk.
The regional classifications are reviewed weekly based on the latest data from the Ministry of Health.
The new crash came after the ISS health institute said this week that the R-number – which measures the rate at which the virus spreads – rose above 1.0 for the first time in seven weeks.
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The so-called British variant of the coronavirus has become ‘overwhelming’ in Italy, said ISS President Silvio Brusaferro.
But the other variants, the so-called Brazilian, South African and others, are also worrying, he added.
Infection rates have risen sharply in Italy recently, with many outbreaks attributed to the spread of new, more contagious variants of the virus.
The GIMBE health think tank on Thursday warned that Italy had entered the third wave of the coronavirus because it reported a sharp increase in the number of infections.
In the period from February 24 to March 2, coronavirus cases rose by a third from the previous week to more than 123,000, the highest figure since early December, GIMBE said.