Coronavirus Global situation
Italy reopens as PM unveils massive recovery plan
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Customers in waterfront restaurants in Naples, Italy, on Monday - the first day of the easing of restrictions in the country after weeks of closure imposed by coronavirus pandemic rules.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
ROME • Italians flocked to bars, restaurants and cinemas following an easing of coronavirus curbs, as Prime Minister Mario Draghi unveiled a massive EU-funded plan that he said would shape the crisis-hit country's future.
After months of stop-start restrictions imposed to manage second and third waves of Covid-19, Italy hopes this latest easing on Monday will mark the start of something like a normal summer.
Mr Draghi has admitted to taking a "calculated risk" with the easing of measures as infection rates have fallen, but Covid-19 deaths still mount by the hundreds every day, to more than 119,000. Italian businesses are desperate to reopen after the pandemic sparked the deepest recession since the end of World War II.
The country is pinning its hopes on a €220 billion (S$352 billion) plan funded by the European Union, which Mr Draghi on Monday told lawmakers would affect "the country's destiny".
Three-quarters of regions have now dropped into the lower-risk "yellow" category, with bars and restaurants permitted to restart table service outside - including, for the first time in six months, in the evening, although a 10pm curfew remains in place.
Cinemas, theatres and concert halls can also open at 50 per cent capacity, followed by the staggered opening of swimming pools, gyms, sporting events and theme parks by July 1.
Mr Draghi had been under intense pressure to ease restrictions, including from far-right leader Matteo Salvini and increasingly vocal anti-lockdown street protests.
The vaccination programme is gaining pace with 17.75 million jabs administered so far in a population of around 60 million, but experts doubt this could be enough to stave off a new health crisis.
Italy was the first European country to be hit by the pandemic last year and remains one of the worst affected, with the EU's highest reported death toll. Italy is also the main beneficiary of the EU's €750 billion post-pandemic recovery fund, but is under intense scrutiny to spend the money wisely.
The government hopes the plan will boost growth by 3.6 percentage points by 2026, after the economy shrank by a staggering 8.9 per cent last year on the back of coronavirus closures.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
