Rome To Fine Tourists 445 GBP For Dumping Gloves, Masks

Story ByAna LacasaSub EditorJoseph GolderAgencyNewsflash

Tourists heading to Rome this summer will be forced to fork out up to 445 GBP if they are spotted dumping gloves or face masks on the ground.

The “zero tolerance” law, introduced by Rome City Council will apply to everyone in the city and is designed to stop the spread of COVID-19 and tackle pollution.

Under the new rules, litterers who ditch their safety gear face a fine between 25 and 500 EUR (22 and 445 GBP).

Newsflash/Virginia Raggi

Virginia Raggi, the mayor of the Italian capital, told local media: “In those months of the coronavirus emergency, our clean up teams have repeatedly reported the collection of used gloves and face masks thrown away by bad mannered people.”

The new municipal law states that until 31st July it is not allowed to discard these items in the city and to do so will be considered a crime.

The mayor insisted that used gloves and face masks should be thrown away in designated containers.

Newsflash/Virginia Raggi

Raggi added that dumping them in a public place could pose a hygiene risk as they could be infected or may cause environmental damage.

She posted about the new rules on social media along with the message “I want to be clear that there will zero tolerance for those throwing away this rubbish in the street”.

According to the latest figures from the Johns Hopkins University, Italy has registered 230,555 cases of COVID-19 and 32,955 related deaths.

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