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There were feelings of relief and fear when people in Italy returned to the streets after almost two months indoors under strict confinement.
“I literally have not been out of the house,” said Rina Sondhi, who lives in the city of Orvieto in Umbria. “The biggest shock for me was the fresh air. Today I feel liberated, but with caution: that is the important thing, we can have freedom but we must be really careful “.
An estimated 4 million people returned to work on Monday as part of what the Italian government called the second phase of the country’s coronavirus emergency, with Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte appealing to the public in a Facebook post on Sunday. at night to “act responsibly”.
Trenord, the company that manages train services in Lombardy, the industrial center of Italy and the region most affected by the outbreak, said the rush hour passenger flow was approximately 30% of pre-departure levels. outbreak.
The easing of restrictions is gradual, and export-oriented factories and construction sites can resume business immediately. Bars and restaurants may offer takeout services, but they won’t reopen completely until June 1. Retailers, museums and libraries will open from May 18, hairdressers and gyms from June 1 and schools from September.
Usually full of activity in the morning, people in facial masks lined up outside the bars in Orvieto while waiting for their espresso. “This is a big step, even if we have to be cautious, it gives you something else to smile about,” Slavik Cebanu said.
Jaskaran Singh, who works at Caffè Barrique, said: “We are happy to be able to open even if things are still restricted and see some movement. I just hope everything goes well “.
Although the infection rate has steadily decreased, fear of the virus persists. The vast majority of new daily cases are registered in the northern regions of Lombardy, Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna and Veneto. There have been no new cases in Umbria in recent days.
“Certainly, the fact that there are zero cases is important to us, but at the same time it does not mean that we are completely safe since the virus is still there,” said Valentina Santanicchio, a chef whose restaurant in Orvieto, Capitano del Popolo, has been providing home delivery. “In some ways, I am more afraid than when we closed, since a lot will depend on people handling the moment responsibly.”
Maintaining physical distance will be crucial to ensure that Covid-19, which has claimed nearly 29,000 lives in Italy, is kept at bay. People can now visit family and couples within their regions and go for a walk or exercise in a park, but most civil liberties remain restricted. Traveling between regions is still prohibited, unless for a valid reason.
Walter Ricciardi, the scientist who advises the health ministry on his coronavirus measurements, said the country would be locked up again if the infection rate increased again. “We are still in a risky phase,” he told La Repubblica. “It will take two weeks to see how it goes.”
In Lazio, the region surrounding Rome, 53 new cases were reported on Sunday. “Little by little, I feel optimistic, but let’s hope we don’t go crazy and start peaking again,” said Marsha De Salvatore, an English teacher and founder of the Rome Comedy Club.
De Salvatore has thalassemia, a blood disorder that requires transfusions every two to three weeks. “I’m going to walk as far as possible, but otherwise things will stay the same,” he said. “The only thing I can’t wait to do, once the restrictions are lifted, is have coffee at a bar.”
