Italian premier: There can be no ‘immediate return to normality’

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte defends his government’s cautious lockdown exit plans, warning that bolder openings would pose a major public health risk.

“I prefer to say it loud and clear, at the risk of appearing unpopular: The government cannot ensure an immediate return to the normality of our previous lives,” Conte tells parliament.

Mentioning a report by government scientific advisors, he says a complete reopening of the country on May 4 “would lead to an exponential and uncontrolled rise in infections.”

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The economic consequences of a second wave of infections would be “even worse,” and the country must brace for co-existence with, not liberation from, the novel coronavirus, Conte says. (dpa)