French media (Le Monde) say the Italian government has outlined a strategic plan "to gradually exit" from the pandemic.
And, making this perfectly clear - NOT YET. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte:
- "We must not lower our guard"
- "We are not in a position to ease the containment measures"
May 16 is being cautiously floated as a possible date to enter a scaled back "phase 2" -
- "coexistence with the virus"
- but only "if the evolution [of the pandemic] does not change"
Would invloive:
- mask mandatory
- social distancing at work and in public spaces
- dedicated hospitals to treat COVID cases
- beefing up local health clinics and systems to detect early
- smartphone app to trace whereabouts of infected people
- First to restart will be food production and pharma
- small shops with few clients
Laster:
- Bars, restaurants, nightclubs, gyms will be last, and operators will have to maintain appropriate distance between patrons as well as staff.