Coronavirus in Italy -

Gregorio Borgia / AP / SIPA

Italy going against the grain of its European neighbors.

The government relaxed anti-Covid restriction measures on Monday, allowing bars and restaurants to reopen during the day and museums during the week.

On the other hand, the curfew remains in force throughout the national territory from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

No Italian region is classified as “red”, the highest level of risk.

The vast majority of Italian regions are now classified as “yellow”, that is to say at moderate risk, with the exception of Alto Adige (north), Umbria (center), Puglia, Sardinia and Sicily (south), classified as "orange" (medium risk).

The Colosseum and the Vatican reopen their doors

This lowering of the level of risk, decided on the basis of criteria such as the occupancy rate of intensive care units or the rate of reproduction of the virus, allows, among other things, the reopening of bars and restaurants during the day and facilitates movement.

Bars and restaurants, which until now could only do take-away, will be able to welcome customers at their tables until 6 p.m., but in limited numbers and respecting the rules of distancing.

Museums can also reopen, but only on weekdays, not on weekends, to avoid crowds of people.

As of Monday, major tourist spots on the peninsula reopened to the public, such as the Colosseum and the Vatican Museums, which include the Sistine Chapel and its famous frescoes by Michelangelo (also open on Saturdays).

Other emblematic monuments of the Italian capital are concerned: the Pantheon, the Borghese Gallery or the Castel Sant'Angelo.

Near Rome in Tivoli, the Villa d'Este and the Villa of Hadrian have also reopened.

Too early for the WHO

Even if the curfew remains in force nationwide from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., this relaxation contradicts the general trend of other European countries which are implementing more severe restrictions.

The World Health Organization (WHO) however warned Thursday that it was "too early to relax" the restrictions because of the "still very high" circulation of the virus.

"Italy is against the tide," confirmed Walter Ricciardi, a public health expert who is advising the Italian Ministry of Health on the pandemic, in an interview on Friday.

On Sunday, the peninsula recorded 11,252 new cases, a figure down from the 12,715 recorded on Saturday.

This weekend, when this easing was announced but was not yet in force, thousands of people poured into the streets and parks of major cities, leading Health Minister Roberto Speranza to launch a warning: "The classification in the yellow zone does not mean that we have escaped the danger, we must still exercise the greatest caution if we do not want to undo the progress made in recent weeks".

Italy's leaders are monopolized by the political crisis caused by the resignation on Tuesday of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who is handling day-to-day business while the ongoing political consultations result in a solution.

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