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Lifting travel restrictions creates rift among Italian state governors

A demonstrator is arrested in Rome during protests against the economic situation in Italy during the lockdown exit strategy - Stefano Montesi - Corbis/Corbis News
A demonstrator is arrested in Rome during protests against the economic situation in Italy during the lockdown exit strategy - Stefano Montesi - Corbis/Corbis News

The Italian government’s decision to lift any restriction on travel between regions from June 3 opened a rift among regional governors, worried about a possible spread of coronavirus contagions.

Italy confirmed the date planned for allowing free movements across the country, as it also reopens its borders to international tourism next week.

The decision -- announced on Saturday by Health Minister Roberto Speranza -- came after the government reviewed the latest regional data on contagions, which were considered reassuring.

Italy has been one of the worst-hit countries globally by the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus outbreak claimed more than 33,000 victims nationally, with almost half of them concentrated in the northern Lombardy region, considered the epicenter of the outbreak.

The rate of deaths and new infections, however, slowed down constantly in recent weeks, persuading the government to confirm its plans and allow Italians to move freely between regions for their summer vacations.

The different rates of contagion, however, sparked a fight between the worst-hit northern regions – especially Lombardy and Piedmont – and the southern ones, which have lower numbers of infections and rely heavily on tourism.

Some regional governors have also raised the idea of imposing a sort of “sanitary passport” to Italian citizens willing to travel across the country for the holiday period. But the idea was blasted as “discriminatory and unconstitutional” by the Minister for Regional Affairs Francesco Boccia.

The front of reluctant regions includes Sardinia, Sicily, Tuscany and the southern region of Campania, whose outspoken governor Vincenzo De Luca said that reopening all regional borders -- including those of areas still heavily affected by Covid-19 -- is "incomprehensible."

As Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte tried to mediate between the opposite fronts, protesters took to the streets of Rome and Milan on Saturday, expressing anger for the government’s weak response to the economic fallout from the pandemic.

Hundreds of so-called "orange vests" -- a group inspired by the French Yellow Jackets and led by former carabinieri general Antonio Pappalardo -- converged on the central Piazza Duomo in the northern city of Milan, asking for the government's resignation.

In response to the deep economic crisis that followed a two-months lockdown, the “orange vests” invoke the exit from the euro zone and a return to the Italian lira. But they also embrace some instances of the anti-vax movement, claiming that "the virus doesn't exist."

During the protest, almost no one was wearing protective face masks and social distancing was totally disregarded, enraging local authorities.

Protestors gathered in Rome to express their anger at the Italian government's response to the economic crisis caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic - Antonio Masiello/Getty Images Europe
Protestors gathered in Rome to express their anger at the Italian government's response to the economic crisis caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic - Antonio Masiello/Getty Images Europe

In Rome, a few hundreds of protesters -- waving Italian flags and wearing masks with the national colours -- tried to reach the square facing Italian parliament and where blocked by police in anti-riot gear.

After minor scuffles, the group organized a small sit-in in front of the government building that paralyzed traffic in the city center.

The protest included activists from the far-right "March on Rome," a group born on Facebook that recalls the fascist march on the Capital, and the neo-fascist movement Casapound.

Chanting slogans against the government’s politicians, protesters accused them of having "betrayed" the Italian people, leaving them alone to cope with the dramatic effects of the lockdown.

The Italian output is predicted to fall by over 10% this year due to the economic damage caused by the pandemic, as workers and businesses struggle to restart activities.