ROME 27 Apr (ANA) - Italy, the first European country to be hard-hit by the coronavirus, will allow some businesses to reopen as soon as this week while aiming to reopen manufacturing and construction from May 4, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said.

 

Conte gave the most detailed outline yet of plans to reopen the economy, in a newspaper interview published on Sunday ahead of the government's roadmap out of lockdown, which he said would be released no later than early this week.    

 

Italy, hit hard by the virus weeks before other major Western countries with a total death toll of 26,000, has been forced to serve as a model for how to fight it.

 

Coronavirus deaths in the country rose by 260 on Sunday, the smallest daily tally since March 14, the Civil Protection Agency said.

 

The number of new infections was the lowest since April 20 at 2,324 from 2,357 on Saturday.

 

Sunday's death toll was sharply down from 415 on Saturday, to mark the third daily fall in succession.

 

The total of fatalities since the outbreak came to light now stands at 26,644, the agency said, the second highest in the world after that of the United States. 

 

Italy is being closely watched around the world as it takes its early steps to chart a path out of a strict lockdown it imposed in early March.

 

Conte described a phased process that would see much of manufacturing restarted in early May, although businesses frequented by the general public such as bars and restaurants would have to wait a bit longer. Schools would remain shut until September.

 

'We are working in these hours to allow the reopening of a good part of businesses from manufacturing to construction for May 4,' Conte told Italian daily La Repubblica.

 

Some businesses deemed 'strategic', including activity that was mainly export-oriented, could reopen this week providing they get the go ahead from local prefects.(ANA)

FA/ANA/27 April 2020----