Shops closed throughout Italy until 25 March, excluding food (so spending is saved), pharmacies and parapharmacies. This is the Government's decision, communicated by the Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte: what seemed to be a provision valid only for Lombardy, was instead approved and extended to the whole national territory. The Government has thus implemented not only the requests of local institutions, especially those of Northern Italy, but also of the companies themselves, which have repeatedly reiterated the concept in recent days: without customers around and with all these restrictions, we might as well close the everything to then start again as soon as possible.
Therefore, bars and restaurants also close, however, without prejudice to the possibility of delivering food at home. In fact, the food establishments were already suffering and many had already decided to suspend or reduce the activity: according to one Confcommercio estimate (but prior to the last government decision) the losses in the next three months will be around 4 billion euro. In Italy there are 330 Italian restaurants, with a turnover of 86 billion and employ 1,2 million people. Already in the morning, for the whole sector, the shot in the arm had arrived from the freezing of mortgages and tax deadlines.
Instead, supermarkets and grocery stores will work at full capacity, as well as without prejudice to agriculture and all agri-food processing activities, but always following the directives to make factories and workers safe.
