Public policies for epidemic containment in Italy

The present study analyzes measures deployed by EU institutions to contain the Covid-19 epidemic between February and June 2020 and subsequently zeroes in on Italy's national context. Measures taken in Italy on a national scale are addressed, starting with the establishment of initial exclusion areas, so-called “red zones,” which were put in place in February 2020, until the reopening of internal regional borders, in June of the same year. The aim is to provide a legal overview of the type of measures adopted over time and of their impact on a range of social activities. In this perspective, the study uses reflexive cartography to chart the evolution of Covid-19 containment measures that were progressively adopted, from the “onset” phase, on to the “epidemic” phase and finally to the “endemic” phase.