Italy’s New Coronavirus Cases And Deaths Drop Ahead Of More Reopenings

TOPLINE

New daily coronavirus cases and deaths dropped on Friday in Italy, just before more businesses are slated to reopen and Catholic churches are permitted to hold mass again Monday.

KEY FACTS

Italy’s daily coronavirus death toll dropped to 242 Friday with 789 new infections reported, a drop from 262 and 992 the day before, respectively. 

More than 120,000 Italians had been declared recovered Friday, and the outbreak appears to be plateauing after months of lockdown.

Under Prime Minister Giuseppe Conti’s previous directions, shops are slated to reopen Monday, with bars, restaurants and salons meant to be closed until June.

However, the Italian government announced this week that the country’s 20 regions will have the power to set their own timelines for further reopenings.

Bloomberg reported that a draft decree—expected to be approved later Friday—would allow bars and restaurants to reopen next week with hygiene and social distancing caveats if allowed by their region.

Officials from the Lombardy region, the worst-hit in Italy, said Friday they had not decided when they would allow shops and restaurants to open, and that they were waiting for further data.

KEY BACKGROUND

Italy was the first European country to lock down, and for much of the pandemic, was the hardest-hit country in the world. Italy has reported nearly 32,000 confirmed deaths since the pandemic hit, the most coronavirus deaths in the world after the U.S. and the U.K. This month, the manufacturing and construction industries returned to work, and Italians were allowed to go outside and visit select loved ones for the first time in months. The European Commission estimates the Italian economy will shrink by nearly 10% in 2020. Italy is slated to allow Italians to travel freely across regions again from early June, according to a draft decree seen by Reuters on Friday. Saving the domestic summer holiday would help the tanked tourism industry, one of the country’s most profitable sectors. 

FURTHER READING

Italy’s daily coronavirus death toll and new cases dip (Reuters)

Italy Set to Allow Free Movement Within Country From June 3 (Bloomberg)

Free movement across Italy to be allowed from June 3: draft decree (Reuters)

Italy to give regions powers to roll back coronavirus lockdown (Reuters)

Full coverage and live updates on the Coronavirus

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