The Italian Ministry of Health activated the orange alert today, Wednesday, in a number of cities, following the sharp rise in temperatures that the country is experiencing within an unprecedented heatwave hitting large parts of Europe.
The ministry, according to what the Italian News Agency reported, stated that the orange alert includes 14 cities: Bologna, Bolzano, Brescia, Florence, Frosinone, Milan, Perugia, Rieti, Rome, Turin, Trieste, Venice, Verona, and Viterbo. The health authorities warned that the continuation of the heatwave could push some major cities, foremost among them Florence, Rome, Turin and Bologna, to move to the red alert level starting Thursday, which is the highest degree of warning, due to the direct risks it poses to public health. The warning system adopted by the Italian Ministry of Health relies on four graduated levels, starting with the green level, which indicates the absence of any health threat, followed by the yellow level as an early warning stage. The danger escalates at the orange level, which poses a special threat to vulnerable groups such as the elderly and patients with chronic diseases, reaching the red level, which announces the heatwave entering the stage of widespread danger that may affect all segments of society without exception.
