The Italian health ministry announced on Monday that from June 28, facemasks will no longer be compulsory in the country. Italy was the epicenter of COVID-19 in Europe at the start of the pandemic.

The order would come into effect in regions labelled “white” under Italy’s classification system for how rapidly the virus is spreading, Health Minister Roberto Speranza wrote on Facebook.

Almost all of the country falls into the category except the tiny Aosta Valley in the far northwest.

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Speranza’s announcement came on advice from Italy’s Comitato Tecnico Scientifico (CTS) scientific advisory panel, which said people should still have masks at hand for events with a higher risk of spreading the virus, like large gatherings.

By June 28, experts predict all of Italy will be classified a “white” zone, with just 21 deaths and 495 new cases recorded nationwide on Monday.

The country has recorded 127,291 deaths since the pandemic reached it in early 2020, with 4.25 million infections.

So far, 30% of people over 12 have been vaccinated, or around 16 million out of a population of 60 million.

More than 46 million vaccine doses have been administered in Italy.