Italy to Gradually Lift Lockdown on May 4

FIRST STEP: Italy’s prime minister Giuseppe Conte on Sunday evening confirmed the lockdown in the country, first enforced on March 9, will be gradually lifted beginning May 4, when production and construction will be allowed to restart, as well as B2B operations, in compliance with safety protocols. Another phase will kick off on May 18 when retail businesses will be allowed to reopen, as well as museums, exhibitions and libraries. Bars, restaurants, hair salons and beauty centers will reopen on June 1. Masks will be mandatory in public places, large crowd gatherings will be forbidden and a social distancing of at least three feet will continue to be required. Conte was cautious, saying that citizens will have to learn with the coronavirus and that another lockdown could be necessary if signs pointed to a fresh outbreak. As of April 26, at least 197,675 citizens in Italy have been infected, 26,644 have died, according to the Civil Protection. A number of luxury brands have resumed activities ahead of the end of the lockdown, as reported, also for the production of protective masks and overalls. Valentino, for example, will resume activities on April 27 at its artisan laboratories and at a number of its production plants

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