The family stores will take Italy out of the long closure in the west

The longest and most stringent closure imposed by a Western government in the shadow of the Corona epidemic will gradually be lifted starting tomorrow, led by small family stores and agricultural equipment factories. According to official data, 25,969 Italians died of the Corona virus, the second highest statistic in the world after the US.

“Italy will reopen gradually over the next four Mondays,” the Corriere della Serra daily reported on Friday. Thousands of new cases are still reported on a daily basis, but the outbreak rate has slowed. “It all depends on the contagion curve,” the paper noted. If it does not return, “factories producing agricultural equipment and forestry equipment will open on April 27.” Construction sites, as well as the textile and fashion industry, will be able to return to work on May 4, followed by clothing and footwear stores. At the last stage, bars, restaurants and barbers will be reopened.

The gradual opening following seven weeks of closure will be accompanied by strict hygiene practices and social remoteness. Bars and restaurants will be required a foot away from customers, with the preference of sitting in open spaces. Some restaurants will even place plexiglass partitions between customers at the same table. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte’s official announcement of the exit strategy is expected to be delivered today.

The Italian closure is the longest imposed in the world at this time, having become the first Western democracy to delay the move. Following a regulation requiring residents to stay in their homes, all stores were closed on March 12, except for pharmacies and food stores. According to Conte, a “rigorous scientific program” will be implemented to ensure the safety of passengers in public transport and to monitor the contagion curve.

€ 540 billion in aid

As in the rest of the world, business owners in Italy are desperate for financial aid and warn of economic catastrophe. According to IMF forecasts, Europe’s third-largest economy will shrink by 9.1% this year, Italy’s worst recession since World War II.

At an online summit held by leaders of the 27 EU countries on Thursday, a plan to inject billions of euros into the European economies that suffered the hardest hit, including Italy and Spain. Apart from the emergency funds, which will form an integral part of the Union’s next seven-year budget, € 540 billion will be raised from existing budgets beginning June 1. EU Commissioner Ursula Von De Laine said the European Fund would make a total investment of trillion euros to bolster the economy. Although bitter debates have recently surfaced about the sources of emergency funding, Conte was pleased to note that the summit “made significant progress”. His remarks in the background were repeated requests from Italy that the rich countries in the north of the continent would show greater solidarity towards their weakened sisters.

Apart from European aid, Conte has pledged to increase the Italian emergency budget from € 25 billion approved last month to € 75 billion. This is in the shadow of a monstrous debt-to-GDP ratio that is projected to jump this year to about 159% of GDP compared to 134.8% at the end of 2019.

Even before the official return to normal, bookshops, stationery, children’s clothing and stores selling unique handmade products began to drip. The feeling among these business owners is mixed. “I am very happy to reopen the store, although it will be very difficult,” noted Paula, who owns a bookstore in Rome, which she runs with her sister Levinia. Speaking to the CNBC network, she said the social remoteness regulations would particularly hurt small businesses like hers. “We will not return to the routine before the Corona,” she concluded.

The Sisters Bookstore is one of many Italian family businesses that are considered the backbone of the economy. Small and medium businesses in the country account for 66.9% of the value of non-financial business activity, compared to the EU average of 56.4%. The employment rate of these businesses is 78.1%, compared with a European average of 66.6%. Small businesses, employing up to nine people, are particularly important and represent 44.9% of employment compared to 29.7% in the EU.

Milan will add bike trails

Towards an era of coexistence with the Corona virus, Milan introduced one of the continent’s most ambitious programs to reduce car volume and allocate more bicycle and pedestrian paths. The financial and fashion capital, which lies at the heart of the epidemic in the north of the state, wants to keep the low pollution levels recorded since transportation slowed by tens of percent due to closure.

“The Guardian” reports that the municipality announced the conversion of 35 km of streets this summer to pedestrian and bicycle lanes to prevent overcrowding in public transport. “Of course, we want to reopen the economy, but it has to be done differently than before,” noted Milan city official Marco Granelli. If everyone drives cars, there is no room for people, no room for commercial activity outside the shops. We need a new vision for Milan, to support bars, restaurants. When it’s all over, we want to be at the forefront of change. ”

The plight of small business owners has given a backdrop to the age-old custom known as “Delay Coffee.” The custom, whose essence is giving to the needy, may now help to re-energize the economy. This was after more than 2 million businesses closed and one in two employees remained without income.

Piazza San Giovanni della Mela, nowadays as a bustling square in Rome, is now almost deserted. One recent morning, a customer at the grocery store asked to add € 10 to her account for “La Sosa Suspensa” – delayed shopping. The custom originates from a Neapolitan tradition whereby a customer pays in advance for those who cannot afford coffee. Now, the custom of coffee has been replaced with the purchase of food products in advance. “The customer who has leaves for those who don’t have them,” explained the store owner, who, according to the practice, doubles the amount and provides durable food, such as pasta and canned goods, to a local aid organization. Now that Italy’s economy is all paused, this practice will be expanded, with the clear knowledge that millions more will be needed.