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ROME (Reuters) – Tired of Europe’s longest coronavirus blockade, Italians have circulated in their diaries on Monday for a month since Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte first suggested that it could be the date that life returned to be almost normal.
Now his enthusiasm is muted by the knowledge that in the end many of the restrictions of the past eight weeks will remain in place, as confusion reigns over which they will rise.
With nearly 29,000 deaths from COVID-19 since its outbreak emerged on February 21, Italy has the second highest number in the world after the United States.
Additionally, the daily count of deaths and new infections has slowed more gradually than the government expected, prompting Conte to take a slow-slow approach to ending the blockade, which will constantly adjust based on contagion trends.
“We are still in full aggression from the pandemic,” he said in an interview with the La Stampa newspaper on Sunday, stressing that the so-called “phase 2” of the blockade “should not be seen as a sign that we are all free” and things they can return to normal.
People will be able to leave their homes more freely and more workplaces will be allowed to reopen as long as they can comply with social distancing rules, but most stores will be closed until May 18 and restaurants and bars can only offer takeaway.
Schools, cinemas, theaters, museums and hairdressers remain closed and will reopen on phased future dates.
The parks will reopen on Monday and Italians can run and do other outdoor activities as long as they are two meters away. The masks will be mandatory in all closed spaces, which will be purchased in pharmacies at a subsidized price of 0.5 euros ($ 0.55) each.
The relaxation of the confinement has been affected by the lack of clarity about exactly what activities will be allowed starting on Monday and even in which houses people will be able to visit.
CONFUSION
The confusion only worsened with government-issued guidelines over the weekend, which quickly became the target of widespread criticism and ridicule on social media.
These explained that visits will be allowed even to distant relatives, including the children of cousins or cousins of spouses, as well as visits to anyone with whom one has “a stable bond of affection.”
However, they did not say whether the friendship counted as a stable bond of affection, until an unofficial message to the media from the prime minister’s office explained that visits to friends are still not allowed.
A sense of confusion has also arisen from Italy’s decentralized power structure in which some regional authorities, led by the center-right opposition, have threatened to ignore the rules and go alone in reopening activities.
Conte said “phase 2” would include more tests to see who has the virus, with 5 million kits shipped to the regions in the next two months. Also, starting this week some 150,000 blood tests will be done to get an idea of how many Italians have already developed antibodies.
He also exposed some of the contents of a € 55 billion stimulus package to be adopted in the coming days, including more cash for workers sent home temporarily, special payments for punished domestic and temporary workers, and vouchers for families. . pay for babysitters.
(Edition by Alexander Smith)
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