Lombardy, Italy has approved a ban on women wearing the burqa in hospitals and local government buildings following the recent attacks in Europe.
The new legislation in the wealthiest region in Italy will come in force on Jan 1. It marks the first Italian region to explicitly outlaw Islamic face coverings.
In 1970, laws already prohibit clothing, helmets or any other items that make identification difficult in public places but it is not respected or enforced.
"Thousands of Muslim women go about undisturbed with their faces completely covered by the burqa or the niqab, making it impossible to identify them," Paul Grima, secretary of the Lombard League, said in a report by Breitbart.
"Whoever wants to enter a hospital in Lombardy must be recognisable and present themselves uncovered, the burka [and the] niqab are therefore banned," Simona Bordonali, head of security, civil protection and immigration, said in a report by Express.
He added that the "serious terror attacks in recent months forced them to tighten security measures."
"We have updated the law and now nobody with a covered face will be allowed to enter public offices and hospitals," Lombardy governor Roberto Maroni told Il Fatto Quotidiano in a report by Independent.
Justice Minister Andrea Orlando did not agree with Italy's populist region's burqa ban.
"Right now the last thing we need is to wave symbols about and make propaganda - a domain in which the Islamist extremists are unbeatable."
On New Year, authorities may stop people from entering public places who are wearing burqa, helmets and other head gear.
"Religious traditions or customs cannot represent just cause for an exemption according to article 5 of Law 152/1975 regarding the demands of security within regional buildings," Lombard Regional Council regulation stated.
The decision on burqa ban in Lombardy, Italy comes after Venice banned women from wearing the face veil in public museums.
