• Mattarella-Conte meeting at the Quirinale, EU solidarity to start again
  • Phase 2. Government tightens, Conte brings together Colao and ministers. The plan by Saturday
  • Coronavirus, Conte: "The EU does not repeat past mistakes. Mes? Last word in Parliament"
  • Coronavirus, Phase 2. Count: "From the government choices for the whole country, we will have courage"
  • Count to German media: Mes in Italy has a bad reputation. Italy left alone, I appreciate EU apologies

Share

April 22, 2020 "The review of social distancing measures does not mean a free everyone, but we cannot shut citizens at home forever." This is what Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte explained during the control room with the Regions and local authorities. The body includes Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, the Ministers of Regional Affairs and Health, Francesco Boccia and Roberto Speranza, the representatives of Regions and Municipalities and Vittorio Colao, at the helm of the task force on reopening. Instead, the Council of Ministers has been postponed until tomorrow, called to give the green light on the budget shift, which was expected immediately afterwards. 

Watch out for the contagion curve
"We have to start again keeping the contagion curve under control. The constant updating of information from the territories - number of people infected, places available for intensive care, etc. - will be essential to manage phase two under conditions of maximum precaution". This was said by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte during the direction booth with Regions and local authorities.

2.7 million workers involved in the restart on 4 May.
In any case, we must hurry considering that every week of blocking costs roughly half a point of GDP. The strategic lines had been agreed in the morning during another video conference with the task force led by Vittorio Colao whose task it is to prepare the plan. The plan foresees that Monday 27 April those in good standing with all the security protocols can start again. Then at least 2.7 million people will recover from May 4.

Reopening program during the week 
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has announced that within the week he will indicate the national program of openings from 4 May: he should do it between Friday and Saturday. To arrive at the final decision, the government will hold a series of confrontation meetings with all stakeholders, including the social partners. Trade unions and business groups could be called in the next few hours, for a confrontation with the government that should take place at the latest on Friday, even if accelerations are not excluded. 

In small steps
Slower the procedure for the shops that could open the gates on 11 May. Bars and restaurants should wait until the following week. Colao presented a five-page document in addition to the slides with the steps to be taken. Among the former there will be a protocol for public transport considering that 15% of manufacturing and construction workers use them to go to work. The task force's recommendation ("use all bicycles") is certainly not conclusive. The two wheels are a solution in urban centers. In the case of longer journeys or to industrial plants, located far from the cities, you need more. In fact, the mayors have presented a 5 billion plan to strengthen public transport.

Safety and masks
It will be necessary to update the safety protocol signed with the unions on March 14 (gloves, masks and distancing in the workplace, thermoscanner to measure temperature, sanitizing environments). Finally, the masks: at least seven million a day are needed but, at this time, as Commissioner Domenico Arcuri said, deliveries are stopped at four million.

The risk index map
The plan is based on the risk index map compiled by Inail based on Ateco's codes. The criteria used to compile the reopening map are essentially three: exposure to the virus, proximity of workers, aggregation. Based on the three variables, INAIL has assigned a level of risk ranging from low to very high. The automotive industry (with related industries), textiles and clothing, metallurgy, iron and steel and construction have obtained a medium-low risk index. And these will be the activities that will start again on May 4th if not on Monday April 27th. Colao had proposed to exempt 60-year-old workers from returning, but the prime minister opposed it because "the lockdown cannot be continued: we resume activities as long as they are safe".

From May 4 with few exceptions
"The goal is to ease the anti-contagion measures from May 4". According to what is learned, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to the regions and municipalities in the video conference on phase 2. At the meeting of the control room, the Prime Minister would have explained the reasons for the caution of the government, thus curbing the possibility of reopening some sectors as early as April 27th. The derogation will be granted only to those who have the prefects' permission on security protocols. Conte, illustrating Colao's plan, would have explained that from May 4, manufacturing, construction, services to people and some commercial activities could resume operations in compliance with the safety protocol signed at the time which remains the "compass" of the executive. Number one in the Colao task force stressed, it is reported, that decisions about phase two are up to politics.

Unions are asking for caution
"There are still many open questions to discuss and the hypothesis to immediately resume all activities, as requested by someone, starting from April 27, just on the eve of World Health and Safety Day, is an imperceptible hypothesis. Moreover, anyone who proves that he is entitled to it can already appeal to the prefects. Therefore, in the next few days, efforts must be made to obtain the necessary guarantees and to avoid the risk of painful steps backwards on the front of the infections ". Cisl and Uil, at the end of the round with the premier, Giuseppe Conte, check the hypothesis circulated in these hours.

To the first ok to move but not between Regions 
Allow movements even outside your Municipality and within the individual Regions from 4 May, while leaving the limits on intra-regional mobility in force. This is the hypothesis, as learned from various sources, on the government table in view of the start of "phase 2". Nothing decided, it is explained, but this would be the prevailing orientation at the moment. 

A further 4-5 billion for healthcare is expected in April. Another 4-5 billion for healthcare is 
coming. According to what is learned from several sources, these are the additional resources that the government aims to allocate with the next anti-Coronavirus decree in April. The resources would serve, among other things, to guarantee a few thousand hiring nurses to cope with the burden of home care linked to the Covid-19 epidemic.

The phone call with Erdogan
During a day full of appointments, Prime Minister Conte also had the opportunity to talk on the phone with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. According to what was announced by the presidency of the Turkish Republic, the two leaders discussed measures to stem the spread of coronavirus in their respective countries and the crisis resulting from the pandemic, as well as developments in the waters off Cyprus and bilateral relations between Italy and Turkey.