With the end of confinement and a beautiful spring sun, the Italians inevitably return to spritz with friends and aperitifs on the terrace, raising the authorities' concern over a possible resurgence of the epidemic of new coronavirus. "Now is not the time for party or movida !" , warned Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. "During the current phase, it is more than ever necessary to respect the safety distances and to wear masks when necessary," he said.
After a deadly epidemic that has killed more than 32,000 people, traumatized the population and brought the economy to its knees, the peninsula has gradually deconfined since May 4. The Italians cautiously emerge from two months of strict confinement, tasting a little regained freedom and eager to resume a social life. On Monday, shops, cafes and restaurants were allowed to reopen.
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Throughout the peninsula, from Turin (North) to Palermo (South) via Bari (South), many young people and revelers have reinvested, glass in hand, the shaded terraces and paved fountain squares which make the charm of the country . Local media repeat images broadcast on social networks of these nocturnal festive gatherings. "Phase 2 (deconfinement) : the nightlife resumes, crowds of young people without mask during the aperitif," observed the daily La Repubblica on Thursday .
In Padua, in the Veneto region, these photos of dozens of young people side by side, clinking glasses without masks on their noses aroused the ire of the president of the region, Luca Zaia. “In ten days, we are really likely to see infection rates go up. If this is the case, I will close all the bars, restaurants and beaches, and we will have to cloister again, ” thundered Luca Zaia. "Nobody wants to ban spritz, but I ask to avoid gatherings and to wear masks, at least until June 2," he said.
Last Sunday, eve of the reopening of bars and cafes, the mayor of Bergamo, long the epicenter of the pandemic in the north of the country, was already alarmed by "all these people who do not take the necessary precautions" in town and in public places. "It drives me crazy! Isn't hundreds of dead in our city enough? Are we going to be in the same boat in a month? ” , lambasted Giorgio Gori on his Facebook page.
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To avoid customers crowding into the crampedness of bars and restaurants, the authorities have tried to encourage consumption in the open air by abolishing the tax on terraces. "In return, we ask them (the owners of bars and restaurants) to make an effort to avoid gatherings and ensure the safety of consumers, as well as their employees," explains Giorgio Gori.
Police and riflemen are often present around these gathering places. But their presence seems not very dissuasive, despite fines ranging from 400 to 3,000 euros. Padua police chief Isabella Fusiello warned: "The owners of the affected establishments are also responsible because the covid-19 emergency is far from over," she said. La Stampa newspaper , citing possible license revocations.
The mayor of Bari, Antonio Decaro, has suggested offering a mask for each glass or cocktail ordered. Customers "have the mask, but they don't wear it." It's hard to drink and talk with it, ” explains shrugging the owner of the Bar del Cinque, in the Roman quarter of Trastevere, where young people and students love to come and drink in the evening. "They especially seek to socialize, to find friends" . The confinement now over, "it's time for freedom!" , he explains.
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In the evening precisely, this same district of Trastevere knew a certain affluence, but relatively ordered, noted an AFP journalist. Students, but also Italians of all generations, including families with children, came to discuss, meet, under the gaze of carabinieri sometimes explaining to the owners of the drinking establishments the measures to be taken to avoid rapprochements.
“People don't always wear masks and they don't obey us. What can we do?" , explained Amanet, an Egyptian waiter, his mask stuck on his nose. On the Trilussa square, the elegant Enoteca Ferrara restaurant has set up five small tables on the pavement for an aperitif at a distance, thus avoiding crowded groups. "I would like the Trastevere to be as orderly as ever , " smiles Elena, 45, tasting a branded wine, sitting more than a meter from her three friends.
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