Answering questions from journalists, the head of the regional security department, Simona Bordonali, confirmed that the ban includes such Muslim headwear as the burqa and niqab, which are currently very popular in Milan and surrounding cities: «Anyone who wants to enter a hospital must uncover their face. Thus, wearing the burqa will be prohibited.»
«Thanks to this decision, we finally bring clarity to an issue that worries many,» says Fabio Rolfi, vice-president of the ruling «Lega Nord» in the region, a nationalist party advocating for the secession of Northern Italy. «It should be clear to everyone that existing laws must apply to everyone. The safety of Lombardy's residents, especially those in hospitals, cannot be sacrificed in the name of those who follow religious dictates, who have nothing in common with how we live, who are alien to our rules and secular values of equality between men and women.»
In turn, Italian Minister of Justice Andrea Orlando strongly condemned the «populist» decision of the regional authorities: «At the moment, fighting with symbols and propaganda is the last thing we should be doing. We will not defeat Islamists on this field anyway.»
As «Russkaya Germaniya» notes, according to legislation adopted back in 1975, wearing headgear that completely covers the face is prohibited in public places and when entering government institutions. In fact, since then, wearing the burqa on the streets has been prohibited, but until recently there was no clarity about what happens after entering a non-government building. Thus, women, for example, in a hospital could claim that they traveled the entire way to the building without a head covering, and only once inside, donned traditional attire.