The next few months will be “very hard” but “we will do everything we can to help everyone”, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said in a letter to Italians published Monday in the daily newspaper Leggo.
On Monday, in most Italian regions bars, restaurants, retail stores, hairdressers and museums reopened after nearly 10 weeks of lockdown, as the badly hit European country entered the so-called “Phase 2” of its coronavirus restrictions.
“The country is starting up again, in a prudent and orderly way, following the indications of the government. One step at a time, with caution and attention, to avoid falling and going backwards. Italy will start running (again),” Conte said in the letter, while reinforcing the safety measures that came into force Monday.
Such measures include social distancing and the use of masks in public spaces and on public transportation.
“We are facing the toughest test since the post-war period. The government is fully aware of this. We are doing everything we can to meet everyone’s needs even faster,” Conte added, referring to the economic stimulus package on which the government is working on to support workers and companies affected by the coronavirus crisis.
Gyms and sport centres will be allowed to reopen from May 25, while from June 3 people will be permitted to travel outside their region of residence.
On Saturday, the prime minister announced that if the number of coronavirus cases keep decreasing, the government will allow people to enter Italy from abroad starting June 3.
Each Italian region will be able to decide whether to extend or restrict such measures, based on the assessments of the epidemiological data of their territories, the government said in a statement Saturday.
