The first European country hit by the pandemic and a nation with one of the world’s highest death tolls started stirring on Monday after its two-month nationwide lockdown.
In all, 4.4 million Italians were able to return to work, and restrictions on movement eased.
Traffic in downtown Rome picked up, construction sites and manufacturing operations resumed, parks reopened and flower vendors returned to the Campo dei Fiori market for the first time since March 11.
But Italians’ newfound freedoms are limited as authorities are wary of setting off a second wave of infections.
While Italians are now able to attend funerals, ceremonies are limited to 15 people and there is still no word on when masses will resume.
Restaurants scrubbed their floors in preparation for takeaway service, but sit-down service is several weeks away.
The use of public transport will be discouraged and everyone will have to wear masks in indoor public spaces.
Southern Italy is bracing for the return of students and workers who were trapped in the hard-hit north when the lockdown took effect.
Some regional governors said they would require anyone arriving home to go into quarantine for two weeks.
“It’s a new page that we must write together, with trust and responsibility,” Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said in a message to Italians.
Conte urged Italians to “act responsibly” in light of the relaxed restrictions.
Italy became the first Western democracy to shut down virtually everything in the face of a virus that has now officially killed 28,884 – the most in Europe – and some fear thousands more.
The economic toll of the lockdown has been historic.
Italy’s economy – the eurozone’s third-largest last year – is expected to shrink more than in any year since the global depression of the 1930s, with half of the workforce currently receiving state support.
