Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Sunday announced a new series of measures to tackle the rising number of coronavirus cases, AFP reports.
As part of the new restrictions, restaurants will have to display their maximum capacity, close at midnight at the latest and limit the number of people per table to six, while bars will have to close at 6:00 p.m. unless they can offer table service to seated customers.
Amateur team sports were also banned.
Arrivals at schools will be staggered to help with social distancing.
Local festivals and fairs, very widespread in Italy, will also be banned, affecting a sector which according to the agricultural union Coldiretti represents 34,000 jobs and 900 million euros annual turnover.
These measures "should enable us to face the new wave of contagion which is severely affecting Italy and Europe. We cannot waste time," said Conte.
Italy was the first European country to be badly hit by the coronavirus and has now registered over 414,000 cases and 36,543 deaths.
In recent days, many countries in Europe have declared new emergency measures in an attempt to stem the spread of the coronavirus, following record numbers of new cases of the virus.
On Tuesday, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced that the Netherlands will go into "partial lockdown" to curb one of Europe's biggest coronavirus surges.
The new restrictions include orders for all bars, cafes and restaurants to close. The sale of alcohol and cannabis will also be banned after 8:00 p.m. in a bid to reduce the social contacts that have led to the rise in COVID-19 cases, Rutte said of the steps.
On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron ordered a nighttime curfew for Paris and eight other cities to contain the spread of COVID-19 after daily new infection rates reached alarming record levels.