The Italian government set up two red-zones on 22 February, one centered on 10 towns in the region of Lombardy, southeast of the country's financial capital Milan, and another, smaller one in the neighboring region of Veneto.
However, despite the government measures, more cases are confirmed near the city of Bergamo, located in Northeastern Milan.This forced the Italian government to consider the possibility of establishing another red zone. Italy is considered a "pandemic" in Europe, with over 2,500 COVID-19 cases.