Italy’s PM Giuseppe Conte Wants To Ease Coronavirus Lockdown Restrictions And Restart Economy

Italy, one of the hardest-hit countries of the coronavirus pandemic, is reportedly considering the lifting of lockdown measures. It was reported that Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte may ease the crippling lockdown at the end of this month after observing the decreasing number of COVID-19 cases.

The shutdown and prohibition of all outdoor activities including game events, meetings, and all types of events where people gather have greatly helped in slowing down Italy’s rate of coronavirus infection. The country has 143,626 cases where 28,470 have recovered and 18,279 died. Currently, they are still dealing with 96,877 cases, according to World Meters.

Since there is a one percent slowdown in the infection, the Italian prime minister thought that they can already slowly lift the lockdown protocols. Still, he said that he would consult with health officials before making the final decision.

“We need to pick sectors that can restart their activity,” he told the BBC this week. “If scientists confirm it, we might begin to relax some measures already by the end of this month.”

While it seems that Italy has overcome the worst stage already after seeing a drop in the number of cases and deaths, Italian health officials warned that the pandemic may only appear to have peaked and the worst scenario is over, but no one knows if this is really the case.

Furthermore, as a response to Conte’s plan, the health experts insist that they should still keep some of the lockdown rules for as long as possible, perhaps until a vaccine is already available. Scientists are expected to formally give their recommendations as to which companies can be allowed to resume operations. The advice will be handed to the Italian PM on April 14.

At any rate, while he wants to gradually ease COVID-19 restrictions and restart their economy, Conte still advised everyone - the government and the public - not to put their guard down. He also made it clear that restrictions will not be completely lifted but just enough for the country’s economy to start operating again.

Meanwhile, the Eurogroup, an association of the EU finance ministers, failed to negotiate a COVID-19 bailout fund for the most affected countries so they have convened again yesterday. In connection with this, Conte has been trying to push for Europe to give out joint bonds to help restart the country’s economy.

“If we do not seize the opportunity to put new life into the European project, the risk of failure is real,” he explained.