After days of discussion, insights, reading and re-reading, here I am gathering the most frequently asked questions about the new DPCM containing the anti Covid-19 measures. So as not to bore you too much, I will only put the directions and answers here; if you feel like going into more detail about the standards and their explanations, I recommend reading here.
Frequently asked questions include:
- Where you can run,
- How one should deal with the mask,
- you can run in company.
This is intended to be a practical guide, and so–to save time–we will not discuss races or events and I will divide the topics by theme or areas.
The areas
Surely you already know what color is associated with your region but, for your convenience, I’ll report them all here:
YELLOW zone:
- Abruzzo,
- Basilicata,
- Campania,
- Emilia Romagna,
- Friuli Venezia Giulia,
- Latium,
- Liguria,
- Brands,
- Molise,
- autonomous province of Bolzano,
- autonomous province of Trento,
- Sardinia,
- Tuscany,
- Umbria,
- Veneto.
ORANGE zone:
- Apulia,
- Sicily.
RED zone:
- Calabria,
- Lombardy,
- Piedmont,
- Aosta Valley.
All measures in the DPCM will be valid from Nov. 6 until Dec. 3, 2020, and the classification of regions may change over the next few weeks based on decisions by the Ministry of Health in agreement with the presidents of the regions.
Running, safe distance, and mask use
Let us first start by saying that you can continue to run in all three zones, although with different limitations.
For running, there is no requirement to wear a mask (or respiratory protective device) because the sporting activity is exempt. However, we must remember that when we stop or start walking, we are no longer engaging in sporting activity, so we will have to wear it. Of course, it should also be worn if we pass someone and are not sure we can keep the two-meter safety distance from other people.
It is worth mentioning, however, that the obligation to wear it outdoors is excluded if “the condition of isolation from non-cohabiting persons is continuously ensured.” What does it mean? That if I am in the open country and only have mouflon around, I don’t need to wear it. But it must be continuous!
Our advice is to take it with us because you never know what can happen on the road.
YELLOW zone restrictions: there are no new restrictions, however, remember that a distance of two meters must be observed from all other people in the street. Even if we are running or cycling with a friend.
Restrictions for the ORANGE zone: the only restriction compared to the yellow zone is the territorial scope. In fact, it is not possible to engage in sports activities outside the boundaries of the municipality of residence, domicile or home. In the same way, one cannot take the car to go to train elsewhere.
Restrictions for the RED zone: here, too, sports activities outside one’s municipality are not allowed; in addition, arequirement to practice sports individually is introduced.
This implies that you can’t have someone following you on a bike, you can’t ride with friends, you can’t go out on a bike with friends.
To top it off, throughout the country, it is not possible to engage in sports activities from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
I hope I have been sufficiently schematic and precise to remove any possible doubt.
Happy racing! (within the rules)
(Main photo credits: MilanMarkovic on DepositPhotos.com)