Table A4.

Restrictions introduced by the Italian Government during the COVID-19 health crisis.

Date	General provision	Implication on Food Chain
Jan 31	Declaration of “Emergency state” for 6 months	None
Feb 23	First restrictions to movements in the areas of the outbreak (“red zones” in Lombardia and Veneto regions). Stop public mass gatherings.	In the “Red Zones”: •only retailers selling essential goods, including food, allowed to operate; •closure of all other non-essential activities like restaurants, bars); •access to shops is allowed only with protections (masks and gloves) and with a minimum distance guaranteed inside shops; •movements in/out the municipalities of residence are forbidden.
Feb 25	Restrictions for Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lombardia, Veneto, Liguria, and Piemonte regions: •stop sports events; •stop school trips/field visits of any kind; •smart working is encouraged.	•restrictions in the “red zones” still apply; •no restrictions for the rest of the national territory.
Mar 1	Tightening of restrictions for specific areas: •red zones (e.g., municipality of Codogno); •Emilia-Romagna, Lombardia, and Veneto; •Provinces of Pesaro and Urbino, Savona.	•restrictions in the “red zones” still apply; •in the other territories restaurants and bars are still allowed to operate if the 1m interpersonal distance can be guaranteed; •only service at tables is allowed; •malls are allowed to be open on Sundays.
Mar 4	Closure of all schools and Universities.	The above implications still apply.
Mar 8	Lockdown of Lombardia and other 14 provinces (5 in Emilia-Romagna, 5 in Piemonte, 3 in Veneto e 1 in Marche).	•food delivery and online shopping are allowed and encouraged; •farmer's markets are not officially forbidden, but the majority of municipalities decide for their closure; •only retailers selling essential goods, including food, are allowed to operate; •restaurants and bars are open until 6 pm and only for delivery services.
Mar 10	General lockdown of Italy: •severe restrictions to freedom of movement not related to work (some extra-municipalities movements are still allowed like the return to the place of residency); •severe social distancing rules.	The implications of March 8th apply to the whole national territory.
Mar 20	Tightening restrictions to freedom of movement: •extra-municipality movements not necessary to reach active workplaces are forbidden; •access to parks, villas, playgrounds, and all outdoor activities are forbidden (any kind of sport or children's play).	•the above implications still apply; •on Sundays, all food shops are closed.
May 4	Release of some restrictions to freedom of movement.	Moving across municipalities to do grocery shopping is officially allowed.
May 18	End of restrictions to freedom of movement.	•reopening of productive activities, shops and the majority of social activities; •rules for HoReCa activities are still different between regions; •restaurants that can satisfy security requirements can open for service.