By: V4 Agency
Italy’s first weekend after the easing of pandemic-related restrictions was characterised by crowded streets and restaurants filled to the rafters. The last time such scenes took place in Italy was at the outbreak of the disease, which has led to mass infections later.
In Italy, thousands flocked to the streets on the first weekend after the easing of curfew restrictions.
“It’s utter nonsense,” the mayor of Bergamo said of Saturday’s mass crowds, knowing that his city was one of the hardest hit by the coronavirus. Giorgio Gori warned that his city could soon be in the red zone again.
Bergamo is not the only Italian city where restaurants filled to the rafters and streets were crowded over the weekend. Authorities in Rome were forced to close down certain streets and squares due to massive overcrowdig. The capital’s mayor asked people to bear in mind that the health crisis is not over yet, urging them to continue to wear masks and observe the general rules of social distancing.
The situation is similar in Milan, Turin and Naples, as well as a number of other cities across Italy, regardless of size.
The concerns of city mayors are not unfounded, for the government was extremely sluggish in introducing curfews during the first wave of the pandemic, and authorities experienced serious challenges in enforcing them. People’s resistance or general failure to comply with the curfew has had a severe backlash, making Italy one of the worst-hit countries in terms of Covid fatalities during the first wave.
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