GENOA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th March, 2020) Despite the fact that the Italian government has introduced remarkably tough measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and put the whole country on lockdown, people still seem to feel no danger and seek to continue their daily routines, a Sputnik correspondent reported.
Late on Monday, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte issued a decree extending the quarantine of the northern regions to the whole of Italy as a means to prevent the further spread of the COVID-19 virus. All movements between and within regions are banned unless necessary for work, health or other serious motives.
The decree also canceled all sporting events and public assemblies and prolonged the closure of schools and universities until April 3.
Bars and restaurants are allowed to stay open in Italy only if they provide sanitizing gel for visitors and guarantee a distance of at least one meter (3.2 feet) between customers. For this reason, most bars no longer serve traditional Italian espresso at the counter and instead require everyone to be seated at the tables.
"Our bar is not closed; it continues to work as usual. Obviously we have lost many clients, but our usual elderly visitors are always there. It's funny that even today, after the lockdown decree, our usual old folks came for a coffee. I don't even know why they do this, but they come and chat as if nothing has happened," a worker at a Chinese bar in central Milan told Sputnik.
In Genoa, another important city in the northern Liguria region, places in the historical center lack room and one can hardly find a bar or restaurant where visitors can stay one meter away from one another. Nevertheless, bars there remain open and serve their usual clients.
"We put a disinfecting gel for the visitors and are now thinking how to reorganize our work. Maybe we will not allow more than 4 persons at a time or make some kind of a counter outside," a barista at a tiny Genoa coffee shop of several square meters said.
She noted that some of the bars on the main street of the city had already been fined 1,500 Euros (some $1,700) for not complying with the new standards.
At the same time, there are places that have even managed to benefit in the current situation. Mangini pastry shop in Genoa, for example, has become even more popular these days for selling fresh deserts every day in the shape of the coronavirus.
On the afternoon of March 10, one day after the emergency decree was adopted, most places around Genoa remain open and have clients inside. Almost no one is wearing masks.
Conte announced on Monday that all schools and universities in the country would remain closed until April 3, with many professors moving their classes to online platforms. However, students still assemble at university buildings to discuss exams, which are not canceled despite the circumstances.
Those who prefer not to steer clear of the university buildings gather in cafeterias that have enough space, basically replacing them with the public libraries that were closed because of the coronavirus.
Most public institutions remain open in Italian cities, but they have changed the way they receive guests and organize queues. Only one person at a time may enter, say, a post office, which means crowds of people waiting for their turn end up gathering outside in dangerous proximity to each other.
Once in the office, a visitor will find a barrier tape and, in some cases, even a piece of furniture between them and the civil servant, which ensures the proper distance but at the same time makes it hard to communicate.
Pharmacies ran out of disinfectors and masks as early as February 21, when the virus started spreading rapidly around Milan. Soon after, online vendors started selling packs of simple thin medical masks for around 100 euros each. The Italian Antitrust Authority quickly intervened to curb deliberate price hiking.
Today, it is only possible to order hand sanitizer at a pharmacy. The Sputnik correspondent had to wait for two weeks to receive it in Genoa � the request was made on February 24.
According to the March 9 decree, all sporting events across Italy were immediately suspended. Conte said that gyms must be closed as well.
However, there are many private sports camps that continued to work on Tuesday.
So, even though Italians are now required to show documentation to justify their movement outside their homes, it looks like staying put will be a tough challenge
