Italy will allow factories and building sites to reopen from May 4, 2020 and permit limited family visits as it prepares a staged exit from lockdown more than two months after the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in a small town outside Milan.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said: “We expect a very complex challenge. We will live with the virus and we will have to adopt every precaution possible.”
Manufacturers, construction companies and some wholesalers will be allowed to reopen from May 4, followed by retailers two weeks later.
Restaurants and bars will be allowed to reopen fully from the beginning of June, although takeaway business will be possible earlier.
In addition, parks will be allowed to reopen and limited family visits and funerals with no more than 15 people present will be permitted.
Movement between regions is still suspended and people moving about will still have to carry a declaration explaining the reasons for their journeys.
Museums and libraries can reopen from May 18, when sports teams will also be able to resume group training.
“The reopening is allowed on condition that all companies involved strictly respect security protocols in the workplace,” Conte added.
