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Italy considers reopening shops earlier following protests

After Italian shopkeepers and business owners protested in cities across Italy this week, the government is considering allowing reopenings sooner than planned.

Published: 6 May 2020 18:00 CEST
Italy considers reopening shops earlier following protests
The government is facing pressure from business groups, and there have been protests by hairdressers and owners of other businesses not yet allowed to reopen under Italy's phase two lockdown rules.
 
 
The government is now weighing up whether to bring forward the scheduled reopening of shops, prime minister Giuseppe Conte said on Wednesday.
 
“The government has no intention of protracting this residual lockdown,” he told business group Rete Imprese Italia.
 
Many business owners say they may not survive until May 18th or June 1st, when the government has planned the next phased reopenngs.
 
On May 18th, shops of all kinds are currently set to be allowed to open again, no longer just supermarkets, pharmacies and food shops.
 
While the government has not yet finalized plans beyond this date, Conte has said they hope to reopen cafes, restaurants, bars, pasticcerie, gelaterie and all other food and drink businesses from the beginning of June.
 
Hairdressers, beauty salons and massage parlours may also be allowed to open at the same time.
 
 
 
Seating is likely to be limited to maintain distance, while face masks will be required for both staff and customers at hairdressers and salons.
 
The plans for reopening depend on whether the rate of coronavirus infections in the country continues to fall, the government said.
 
Some businesses deemed low risk, including bookshops and dry cleaners, were allowed to reopen back in mid-April.
 
The government has released emergency payments and has allowed business owners to delay paying commercial rents and some taxes during the shutdown – but protesting business owners have said this won't be enough to keep them afloat.
 

Hairdressers in Venice protesting the shutdown on May 4th. Photo: AFP

Member comments

  1. From the photo of a crowd in the piazza, it looks like there is no social distancing, and a lot of people without masks. I hope there’s not a huge outbreak again after the reopening.

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HEALTH

Covid-19 still causing 1,000 deaths a week in Europe, WHO warns

The World Health Organization's European office warned on Tuesday the risk of Covid-19 has not gone away, saying it was still responsible for nearly 1,000 deaths a week in the region. And the real figure may be much higher.

Published: 27 June 2023 13:27 CEST
Covid-19 still causing 1,000 deaths a week in Europe, WHO warns

The global health body on May 5 announced that the Covid-19 pandemic was no longer deemed a “global health emergency.”

“Whilst it may not be a global public health emergency, however, Covid-19 has not gone away,” WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge told reporters.

The WHO’s European region comprises 53 countries, including several in central Asia.

“Close to 1,000 new Covid-19 deaths continue to occur across the region every week, and this is an underestimate due to a drop in countries regularly reporting Covid-19 deaths to WHO,” Kluge added, and urged authorities to ensure vaccination coverage of at least 70 percent for vulnerable groups.

Kluge also said estimates showed that one in 30, or some 36 million people, in the region had experienced so called “long Covid” in the last three years, which “remains a complex condition we still know very little about.”

“Unless we develop comprehensive diagnostics and treatment for long Covid, we will never truly recover from the pandemic,” Kluge said, encouraging more research in the area which he called an under-recognised condition.

Most countries in Europe have dropped all Covid safety restrictions but some face mask rules remain in place in certain countries in places like hospitals.

Although Spain announced this week that face masks will no longer be required in certain healthcare settings, including hospitals and pharmacies, with a couple of exceptions.

Sweden will from July 1st remove some of its remaining Covid recommendations for the public, including advice to stay home and avoid close contact with others if you’re ill or have Covid symptoms.

The health body also urged vigilance in the face of a resurgence of mpox, having recorded 22 new cases across the region in May, and the health impact of heat waves.

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