Easter holiday for all supermarkets and food shops in Rome from 12-13 April.

All supermarkets and grocery stores in Rome will be closed for two days over the Easter holiday, following an order signed today by the Lazio Region.

The closure affects all stores selling food, including supermarkets inside shopping malls, and will be in place from 12-13 April, Easter Sunday (Pasqua) and Easter Monday (Pasquetta) respectively.

The order does not affect pharmacies, newsstands, tobacconists or service areas, which will be exempt from any obligation to close.

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Italian newspaper La Stampa suggests a "double aim" behind the move: to give supermarket workers a well-deserved rest and to deny quarantined residents the "excuse" of leaving the house to go shopping, in some cases several times a day.

Police in Rome and across Italy will reportedly be stepping up controls in the days around the Easter holiday weekend to ensure that people remain at home, particularly with good weather on the way.

For a list of supermarkets that carry out home deliveries in Rome see the city website.

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