Italy Virus Surge Brings Parliament to Halt as Lawmakers Isolate

(Bloomberg) -- A resurgence of the coronavirus in Italy has prevented the lower house of parliament from voting on new measures to combat the pandemic, with a host of lawmakers forced to go into quarantine.

The chamber in Rome twice failed to reach a quorum on Tuesday following a speech by Health Minister Roberto Speranza, as about 40 lawmakers from the ruling coalition were in isolation after contact with people who've tested positive for the virus.

Opposition lawmakers cheered as the second attempt at a vote failed. “A government majority in disarray, quarrelsome and absent, even when we're talking about the virus,” said opposition leader Matteo Salvini of the anti-migrant League. A new ballot was scheduled for Wednesday.

Read More: Italy Set to Tighten Measures to Counter Pandemic Resurgence

Two members of the lower house have tested positive in recent days: former Health Minister Beatrice Lorenzin of the center-left Democratic Party, the second-biggest force in Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte's ruling coalition, and Francesco Zicchieri, deputy head of the League's lawmakers.

Remote Voting

Italian law does not currently allow for remote voting, which could lead to a repeat of Tuesday's failure to reach a quorum if more lawmakers are forced into quarantine.

“The question is simple, either the houses of parliament adopt remote voting, like other parliaments have done, or as of now it's impossible to make our democracy function regularly with the Covid emergency,” Democratic lawmaker Andrea Romano said in a tweet.

In addition to anti-virus measures, the parliament's current agenda includes work on investment projects linked to European Union funding, with Italy set to be the biggest recipient of EU recovery fund grants and loans, and approval of the 2021 budget by the end of the year.

Following the failure to reach a quorum in parliament, Conte's government may postpone a Tuesday cabinet meeting on extending pandemic emergency powers and approving new restrictions to counter the virus, Ansa news wire reported.

Lawmakers in the upper chamber have also tested positive in recent days. Senators Marco Croatti and Francesco Mollame of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement, the biggest party in the ruling coalition, tested positive for the virus last week. Riccardo Merlo, an undersecretary at the foreign ministry, had a positive result earlier this week.

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