cinemas, bars, restaurants open and there will be more face-to-face classes

Italy begins the path of a gradual reopening on Monday, which means that restrictions due to the coronavirus will be relaxed on many activities, such as restaurants, bars, cinemas or theaters, and face-to-face education will be strengthened in most areas, which will be considered low risk from Monday.

Almost 50 million of Italians will be able to sit down again for lunch or dinner at the table of an open-air restaurant in the fourteen regions classified as “yellow zones”, while of the others, five become “orange” or at medium risk and only Sardinia it remains in “red” or with the maximum limits, according to the latest ordinance signed by the Minister of Health, Roberto Speranza.

The “opening tunes” They are already being breathed in cities like Milan and Rome, where this Saturday the crowds that came out in the streets animated by good temperatures forced the police to close several streets, like the central Via del Corso, while the owners of bars and restaurants are busy preparing the terraces and their tables.

The start of the curfew, one of the most intense points of friction between the Government and the regions in recent days, is held at 22:00 local, but it will be reviewed on the basis of epidemiological data. The strong hospital pressure, which has diminished although very slowly over the past two weeks, has led Mario Draghi’s executive to color virtually the entire country “red” or “orange” over the past month and a half.

Changes

One of the main novelties of the government decree establishing the new provisions is that Italians will once again be able to travel between regions, even “red” or “orange” areas, if they have a “green certificate”, which can be obtained by those who have completed the vaccination cycle, have been cured of the disease or have tested negative in a PCR test or antigenic within 48 hours in advance.

In addition to restaurants and bars, cinemas, theaters and concert halls may also reopen, but with attendance restrictions and strict security measures. always in the “yellow” areas, after being closed since last October, when a second wave of infections ravaged this country, one of the most affected in Europe by the pandemic.

Some 120 of the country’s 1,200 theaters will open from Monday and they will do so with some new movies and others already released on platforms such as Netflix or Amazon Prime, while the vast majority of theaters will have to wait until at least until. in May to be able to adapt to requests about 50 percent capacity, no more than 500 occupied places and the curfew which reduces your night hours.

Among the notable exceptions, the Rome Opera, which will reopen its doors next Thursday with a symphonic concert conducted by maestro MIchele Mariotti entirely dedicated to Gisueppe Verdi, while La Scala in Milan is still is pushing for a vaccination campaign for its artists.

Museums and students

Also museums They announced the opening of their doors from tomorrow, like the archaeological park of the Colosseum, which can be visited every day of the week, in addition to the museums of the Roman Capitol, the imperial forums or the Mausoleum of Augustus.

From Tuesday and gradually they will do so, among others, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, which will open 14 new rooms, or the archaeological excavations of Pompeii.

Also, since Monday at least 7.6 million students will go to class, which means 89.5% of the total: depending on the capacity of the educational centers and the color of the regions, the figure will be between 7.6 and 8.5 million, according to the projections of the specialized site of Tuttoscuola.

The lack of guarantees on infections, especially in transport to schools, has led unions and school presidents to demand that the percentages of students be reduced in some centers, especially as the course ends. in less than a month and a half.

EFE Agency