• Live.Coronavirus, last minute
  • Reopening in Italy, mobility only in the same region and restaurants at 50%

Four Mondays will mark a return to relative normalcy for Italians, who have been confined since March 11 to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

The Government of Giuseppe Conte has finally set the timetable for opening businesses and shops. From May 4 to the end of the month, although everything will depend on the R0 index -which measures the ratio of transmission of the virus between people-, if it begins to increase again, the reopening plan may slow down.

After a week of tensions between regions of the industrialized north and south of the country - less affected by the virus - pressures are now mounting on Rome in all production categories to accelerate their return to work. National associations representing the construction industry, more than 600,000 companies and two million employees, claim to be "ready to go."

The same pressure is exerted by companies that manufacture construction materials, furniture and finishes. What worries the Government are the decisions of the governors on the health front. Regional Affairs Minister Francesco Boccia warns: "The safer a territory is, the more relaxed the measures can be. The more the infection increases, the restrictions will be reactivated."

According to data provided yesterday by Civil Protection, Italy registered another 464 deaths from coronavirus, with a total of 25,549. The infected people were 189,973, 2,646 more than the previous day.

April 27

The Government yields to pressure from the sector and starting next Monday - if the unions do not stop it - the factories of cars and industrial machinery for agriculture and forestry will resume their activity.

May 4th

Unless changes occur, there will be a green light to resume construction, the textile and fashion industries . On the same day, the country's lottery administrations will also open their doors. Regarding mobility restrictions, the self-certification necessary to move is maintained, but it will be allowed to leave the municipality of residence. Outdoor sports will be allowed, without restrictions on distance and time, but alone and two meters from the others.

May 11

If everything goes according to plan, in two weeks all stores will open , albeit with due restrictions regarding interpersonal separation and protective devices. In contrast, local malls and markets that do not sell food will remain closed as, according to the Scientific Technical Committee, the risk that the free movement of people will lead to an increase in the number of patients is still too high.

May 18

The government's plan also includes bars and restaurants. The rules for them to receive customers again will be to keep a meter away from the counter, two meters between one table and another , and the use of masks and gloves for waiters. And if the governors accept - and the data will continue to be encouraging -, from this date it could be possible to travel from one region to another. This will be the signal that the most dramatic phase of the pandemic has really ended.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • Italy
  • Coronavirus
  • Covid 19

COVID-19 crisis - Eurobonds? "We do not see it under any circumstances, it would be crossing the Rubicon"

Coronavirus 89% of Spanish children have behavioral changes during quarantine, according to a study

ItalyProtected witness, 71 years old and volunteer to fight on the "front" against the coronavirus in Italy