Ciao, lockdown! Italy's streets and tourist spots are crowded for the first time in nine weeks
as restrictions are lifted in the country as well as Spain, Portugal and Germany.
Italians were back on the streets today as the country lifted the longest lockdown in Europe and entered 'phase two' of the coronavirus crisis.
In Venice, where the empty streets and alleyways were an early symbol of the crisis in Europe, St Mark's Square was full of people again today as local traders gathered in the piazza.
Trains and platforms were busy again in Milan with more than four million people expected to return to work at factories and construction sites, while others can exercise in parks and visit relatives for the first time in weeks. . .
Italy's move into 'phase two' today follows only 174 deaths on Sunday, the lowest figure since the lockdown went into effect on March 10, although that came after a spike of 474 deaths on Saturday.
The number of cases was 1,389, also the lowest since March 10, taking the total from 209,328 to 210,717.
Italy's R rate - the number of people that each person infects - has fallen below 1, a threshold which is widely seen as crucial to bringing the epidemic under control.
Health officials say the figure was as high as 3 at the height of the crisis in Lombardy, which became one of the early virus hotspots in February and March.
Prime minister Giuseppe Conte has announced a staggered re-opening from today, although some regions are moving at different speeds.'>>>
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8283743/Italians-visit-relatives-time-nine-weeks.html?
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