The reopenings
Starting from April 26, Italy returns to the yellow zone, but with a change from the past. Priority is being given to outdoor activities, starting with catering at outdoor tables for lunch and dinner. This decision is based on a “reasoned risk” from the opinion of scientists who say that the risk of contagion in the open air is low. Restaurants will also be able to reopen indoors only for lunch from June 1.
With the restoration of the yellow areas, the museums will automatically reopen, while theatres, cinemas, and shows in the yellow area will reopen with capacity limitation measures established by the Technical Scientific Committee.
Starting from May 15, only outdoor swimming pools will be able to restart and from June 1 the gyms, followed by fairs, congresses, spas, and theme parks.
In the yellow and orange areas, schools of all levels will reopen in attendance while in the red areas, nursery schools and schools up to sixth grade will be open. For high schools, there are modalities that divide the lessons partly in presence and partly at a distance.
These measures will be contained in a forthcoming provision to be approved by the Council of Ministers, which will also define in detail the new rules for travel within the national territory. As explained by PM Draghi, it will again be possible to move freely between regions in the yellow zone.
To go to regions of different colors, one of the following conditions is expected to exist: vaccination, execution of a COVID-negative test in a recent period of time, or recovery from COVID.
Support for the economy
With the new budget gap of 40 billion and the Economics and Finance Document approved by the Council of Ministers, the government is launching a bet on growth that this year the public deficit will be just under 12% in relation to GDP and will gradually reduce until it returns below 3% not before 2025.
“If growth is the expected one,” explained Draghi, “we think that no corrective action will be needed in the years to come. The process translates into an exit from debt as a result of growth.”
To people who have lost everything, the other element is to prevent companies from closing due to lack of liquidity. Some sectors with changes in technology will no longer have a market, so the transition to other sectors that have markets must be assisted.
Today, humanitarian support, such as emergency income, and business support prevails. As an example, restoring fixed costs or increasing the number of VAT numbers that can obtain support, which are measures that only make sense if the company is alive.
On open dossiers such as Alitalia, the debt is good only if a reform of the company is made that will allow it to move forward with its own wings, so that it is autonomous. If there is no business plan, it is bad debt. On Stellantis, however, the dossier is not open. Draghi explained, “The logic of these interventions is to give humanitarian support.” Stellantis NV is a multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, which was formed by the 2021 merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and the PSA Group on the basis of a 50-50 cross-border merger agreement.
With the next support intervention, aid to companies and VAT numbers affected by the crisis will be strengthened. There will be measures to cover fixed costs, such as rents and utility bills, as well as interventions to favor credit, liquidity, tax deferrals, and exemptions. There will also be more resources for young people and local authorities.
