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Traffic jams across Italian cities as McDonald’s reopens under phase two

Just as traffic got moving again in Italy on Monday, May 4th, many city roads across the country ground to a standstill again due to tailbacks as people rushed to pick up a McDonald's for the first time in months.

Traffic jams across Italian cities as McDonald's reopens under phase two

Long lines were reported everywhere from Milan to Bari on roads around McDonald's outlets on May 4th and 5th, as Italy entered phase two of its lockdown, easing some restrictions.

IN PHOTOS: How Italians made the most of the start of phase two

In Rome's suburbs, some drivers said they initially thought the tailbacks were due to a serious traffic accident.

Photos and videos of the long lines of cars full of people waiting for their fast food fix were seen in local newspapers and on social media, with some calling it “Mcmania”.

“I udnerstand you've been missing McDonald's, but guys is everything ok?” wrote one Twitter user, after driving past a long line.

It seems many in Italy were eager for some comfort food after almost two months of cooking and eating at home.
 
McDonalds restaurants had been closed since the beginning of lockdown but, like all restaurants across Italy, they are now allowed to open for takeaway orders and home delivery.
 
McDrive outlets are now open and delivery services are also set to resume this week.
 
 
McDonald's employees in Rome told RomaToday that after a difficult first few days this week, things were now starting to return to normal.
 
While some regions had allowed restaurants to provide home delivery throughout Italy's strict lockdown, others such as Campania had put a stop to all restaurant activity – only recently allowing pizza deliveries to resume.
 
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Despite the country's international reputation for healthy, home-cooked food, Italy has no shortage of McDonald's and other fast-food outlets.
 
Italy in fact has the fourth-highest number of McDonald's restaurants in Europe, with some 578 branches operating in the country in 2018, statistics show.
 
The only European countries which had more McDonald's were Germany with 1,489, France with 1,463 and the UK with 1,292.

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