As the Italian authorities announced, 18 cities in the country are going to remain on high alert, due to the heat wave that is affecting the country.

Intense heat will be recorded mainly in the central and southern regions of the country, while in northern Italy the high temperatures will begin to subside.

The Italian Ministry of Health recommends great caution tomorrow as well. In particular, he points out that citizens living in the areas of Bari, Florence, Catania in Sicily, Rigio in Calabria and Rome should limit their movements as much as possible during lunch hours.

According to meteorological forecasts, the highest temperature (42 degrees Celsius) is to be recorded in Sardinia, where today the mercury reached 47.7 degrees.

In the meantime, 25% of the patients who were transferred to the Emergency Departments of Italian hospitals in the last three days had health problems linked to the high temperature and high humidity. Admissions to the country’s hospitals increased by a total of 20%.

As of today, the 1500 telephone line was launched to provide useful information to citizens, both on how to protect themselves from the heat and where to go in case of emergency.

The hospital doctors explain that mainly the elderly are suffering due to the prolonged heat of the last few days and ask the relatives, as well as the “family doctors” of each region, to do everything possible to help the elderly, with the main goal of not being forced to leave their homes.