Rome (AFP)

First country to have confined all of its population, Italy opens on Monday, with a supervised day parole regime which remains at the mercy of a resumption of the pandemic of new coronavirus.

Stefano Milano, a 40-year-old Roman, recounts "the joy" of regaining a little freedom, of receiving a cousin who will come to see his son "blow out his candles", to see his parents again; but he also says his "fear", "because they are old", "because (his) stepfather has cancer".

This ambivalence sums up the state of mind of a country which hesitates between relief and anxiety, suffocated by almost two months of confinement, shaken by an economy on its knees and traumatized by the death of approximately 30,000 people, an official report undoubtedly below reality.

Some 4.4 million employees, who are unable to telecommute, find their way to the construction site, warehouse, factory or office while keeping their distance, including on public transport that operates at reduced capacity and where a protective mask must be worn.

Italians can now walk, cycle or run alone beyond the immediate vicinity of their home, go out with several children. The parks reopen, except in special cases.

It is possible to visit relatives if they live in the same region; also authorized to attend a funeral gathering fifteen people maximum.

- 'The night of the virus' -

But no school for 8.5 million students, probably until September; no picnic or weekend at the beach on sunny days; no museums, retail or libraries until May 18; no mass or performances until further notice; until June at best, no bars or restaurants, however, allowed to sell take-out food, even if regions like Veneto have given more latitude. The travel certificate remains compulsory.

"The night of the virus continues. And you will have trouble seeing the light on the horizon. The only thing is that you get used to moving in the dark. Or at least in semi-darkness", sociologist Ilvo Diamanti wrote in the Repubblica on Sunday.

This darkness leaves a lot of uncertainty. "I want to bring my old mother to the sea? Can I?" Asked Pietro Garlanti, a 53-year-old maintenance worker.

"The authorities seem very indecisive on the method, ill-prepared," says Davide Napoleoni, a 37-year-old unemployed man, who fears new "local or regional confinements".

A poll carried out at the end of April by the Demos institute shows an eight point drop in the government confidence rating of Giuseppe Conte. With two out of three Italians judging it positively (63%), it remains much higher than that of its French neighbor, also very bereaved.

"I implore you, don't let your guard down," begs the head of the crisis cell, Domenico Arcuri, who talks of "relative freedom" for the 60 million inhabitants.

For 0.50 euro each, masks are made available at 50,000 points of sale by the authorities, which have ordered 5 million saliva tests to identify possible sources of contagion.

- Poverty, debt, recession -

The containment of the population was decided on March 9 by Giuseppe Conte. Almost two months later, the third economy in the EU zone should experience a recession of 8 to 10%, millions of jobs are in danger, public debt is expected to exceed 155% of GDP.

The humanitarian organization Caritas announced a doubling of people who came to ask for help, according to a study done in April.

The employers' organization of commerce, Confcommercio, forecasts a drop in consumption of 84 billion euros in 2020 (-8% compared to 2019). Only 20% of Italians plan to go on vacation after the health emergency ends, according to Confturismo.

"Nothing will change" with this deconfinement, "nothing will change until the borders are reopened or flights resumed", "2020 is a lost year", sighs Daniele Minotto, of the association of hoteliers in Venice, quoted by AGI agency.

© 2020 AFP