ROME, March 30, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte’s government
prepared Italians for a “very long” lockdown Sunday that would only be lifted
gradually despite its economic hardship and traumatic impact on daily lives.
The message from ministers and health officials came as Italy’s world-
topping toll rose by 756 — well bellow Friday’s record of 969 — and the
rate of coronavirus infections slowed to under six percent for the first
time.
Yet the government appeared more focused on the nearing April 3 deadline to
lift a national lockdown that had never been tried by a Western democracy —
and has since been replicated across Europe and the United States.
“The measures expiring on April 3 will inevitably be extended,” Regional
Affairs Minister Francesco Boccia told Italy’s Sky TG24 television.
“I think that, at the moment, talking about re-opening is inappropriate and
irresponsible.
“We all want to go back to normal. But we will have to do it by turning on
one switch at a time.”
Italy is effectively sacrificing almost all forms of business activity to
fight the pandemic that first emerged in China last year.
Deputy Finance Minister Laura Castelli said that the government’s initial
25 billion euro ($28 billion) rescue package for affected families and
companies might have to be quadrupled in size.
“In my opinion, at least 100 billion (euros) will be needed,” Castelli told
the La Stampa daily.
– ‘Even stricter’ –
Italy’s death toll now stands at 10,779 and the number of officially
registered infections is just under 100,000.
But officials brushed aside various data suggesting that both rates were
slowing and that Italy might have already lived through the worst.
“We are in the midst of a pandemic,” Health Minster Roberto Speranza told
reporters.
“It would be a mistake to let our guard down.”
Government medical adviser Luca Richeldi warned that data pointing to a
slowdown “are a reason for us to be even stricter.
“We are in a very long battle,” said Richeldi. “Through our behaviour, we
save lives.”
Ministers are expected to decide on the length of an extension in the
coming days.
Conte has the right to keep the lockdown — in full or in part — until the
existing state of medical emergency expires on July 31.
But there is nothing preventing his government from declaring a new one
should restrictions be needed into the second half of the year.
Conte has indicated that he would like to see most measures lifted by June.
– Discontent –
Yet the strains on Italian society imposed by measures that might have
seemed unimaginable just weeks ago are gradually starting to show.
The starkest example came when armed police began guarding entrances to
supermarkets in Sicily after reports of looting by people who could no longer
afford food.
Newspaper stories about growing discontent in one of Italy’s least-
developed regions appeared to be at least partially behind Conte’s decision
to make another TV appeal to the nation on Saturday.
Conte used it to announce a food voucher programme that will cost the
government another 400 million euros ($445 million).
“We know that many suffer but the state is there,” Conte said.
But this is only a stop-gap measure designed to help families cover grocery
costs of between 25 and 50 euros on a one-time basis.
Projections from several global banks and think-tanks in the past week
point to Italy’s economic output shrinking by seven percent this year.
Those numbers are based on the assumption that the lockdown will not be
extend far beyond April.