Italy begins easing lockdown and rebooting its economy
A man holds an Italian flag in front of the Duomo cathedral in Milan on Monday. Italy has begun allowing citizens to return to work and easing restrictions imposed to stem COVID-19 infections.
Millions of people began returning to some semblance of their former lives Monday, going for walks in parks as Italy began to loosen its lockdown. Italy imposed a 60-day lockdown to fight one of the world’s worst coronavirus outbreaks.
Restaurants, bakeries and cafes opened — though just for takeout service — with a mix of anxiety and excitement. Factories, construction sites and wholesale commerce also began to reopen.
Here is a quick glance as Italy flickers back to life and citizens enjoy lighter restrictions on movement.
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People walk off a train after arriving in Milan on Monday as Italy began easing its coronavirus restrictions. (Luca Bruno / Associated Press)
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Simona Papagno prepares food for home delivery at her Criollo ice cream and coffee bar in Rome. (Cecilia Fabiano / Associated Press)
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A customer lowers her face mask to sip coffee outside a bar in Rome on Tuesday. (Alessandra Tarantino / Associated Press)
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Masked workers prepare pizzas for home delivery at the Caputo pizzeria in Naples, Italy, on Monday. (Andrew Medichini/AP)
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Commuters crowd the platform after arriving by train in Milan on Monday. (Claudio Furlan / Associated Press)
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A worker at the Calzaturificio shoe factory in Castelnuovo Vomano in central Italy has his temperature checked before clocking in Monday. (Domenico Stinellis / Associated Press)
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Two customers have coffee outside the Cracco restaurant, which opened for take-away in Milan, Italy, on Monday. (Luca Bruno / Associated Press)
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A woman pulls her cart behind her at the outdoor Porta Palazzo market in Turin, Italy, which reopened Monday. (Marco Alpozzi / Associated Press)
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Stores were open and shoppers were buying in Naples on Monday. (Andrew Medichini / Associated Press)
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Workers wear masks and are separated by plastic partitions at the Sevel auto plant in Atessa in central Italy on Monday. (Cecilia Fabiano/AP)
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Workers at the Calzaturificio shoe factory in Castelnuovo Vomano in central Italy return to work on Monday. (Domenico Stinellis/AP)
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Workers returned to work at the Calzaturificio shoe factory in Castelnuovo Vomano in central Italy on Monday. (Domenico Stinellis / Associated Press)
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A woman walks amid flowers in a just-reopened park in Milan, Italy, on Monday. (Antonio Calanni / Associated Press)
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People stroll in a park that reopened after several weeks of closure in Milan, Italy, on Monday. (Antonio Calanni / Associated Press)
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Customers enjoy a coffee outside a bar in Rome on Tuesday. (Alessandra Tarantino / Associated Press)