Italy Looks Forward To Phased Return To Daily Life After 2 Months Of Lockdown

TOPLINE

Italy, which has Europe’s highest death toll, will ease more lockdown restrictions on May 4 after nearly two months of lockdown, meaning parks, construction sites and factories will reopen and people can travel within regions as the nation’s death toll continues to drop.

KEY FACTS

In numbers

Italy has seen more than 26,600 coronavirus-linked deaths, but the death toll has in recent days reached the lowest level in weeks. Some 260 deaths were reported on Sunday, down from a high of more than 900 at the peak.

What to watch for

Lifting of restrictions does not mean the end to social distancing. Conte warned that months of staying at a distance from others will continue, to avoid infections going up again. People have been warned to stay 10 feet away from each other.

Crucial quote

Conte said: “If we do not respect the precautions the curve will go up, the deaths will increase, and we will have irreversible damage to our economy,” the prime minister said. “If you love Italy, keep your distance.”

What we don’t know

When Italy’s Serie A football matches, put on hold because of coronavirus, will resume. Under the new announcement, teams can begin training together from May 18, but an official date has not been set for the league’s return.

Key background

Italy was the first country in the world to impose a nationwide lockdown because of coronavirus, and many hard-hit European neighbours, including Spain, France and eventually, the U.K., followed suit. Now, as much of Europe starts to see daily death toll figures falling, governments across the continent are looking towards lifting restrictive measures that have uprooted daily life, and likely changed it for a while to come. Over the weekend, children in Spain were allowed to leave their homes for the first time in six weeks, while restrictions will start to lift on May 2. Germany has reopened small shops and mandated the use of face masks on public transport, while Denmark has reopened schools for students up to 11 years old. French lawmakers are set to agree on an exit date this week.

Further reading

Photos: Kids In Spain Play Outdoors For First Time Since March 14; Here’s What That Looks Like (Forbes)

Europe’s Comeback Tracker: You Can Now Get A Tattoo In Denmark And Buy Books In Italy As Countries Gradually Reopen (Forbes)

Germany: Some Shops Reopen As Coronavirus Outbreak Gets ‘Under Control’ (Forbes)

When Will You Be Able To Travel To Europe Again? (Forbes)

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