Index – Abroad – Italians left their homes on their first free weekend

The streets of Italian cities became crowded with pedestrians the first weekend after access restrictions were loosened, reports an on-site MTI correspondent. Despite strict controls, Naples’ boardwalks were full, and in the summer the streets of Rimini on the Adriatic coast were equally crowded, while the beaches remained closed. Only a fraction of the walkers wore a face mask.

A similar crowd has formed in most cities, such as Milan and Rome. Encouraged by this, the northern regions of Trentino-Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia, as well as the southern province of Calabria, did not wait for the expected resumption of trade from May 18, but opened stores earlier.

Italian shopping and walking in a square in Rome on May 9, 2020.

Photo: Tiziana Fabi / AFP

Meanwhile, the epidemic curve in Italy is booming, with 194 new deaths and 1,083 new cases of coronavirus registered from Friday to Saturday, bringing the number of infections to 218,268 and the number of victims to 30,395. The number of those who have recovered already exceeds 100,000. The number of active patients is currently 84,842. Eighty-two percent of them are in home quarantine.