Rome city said Thursday it will step up the pace of coronavirus deconfinement by notably allowing hair and beauty salons to reopen from Monday, two weeks earlier than first planned.
Italy, one of the hardest hit by the pandemic, last week began easing the world's longest virus lockdowns as European nations sought to reopen their economies.
"The new order signed by Mayor Virginia Raggi will be in force from May 18 to June 21, 2020 and sets out the opening hours for commercial, artisanal and productive activities," a Rome city hall statement said.
The Rome municipality has put in place a system based on three activity groups with staggered opening and closing times to limit as far as possible the number of people gathering in one place.
The first comprises food sellers, the second artisans while the third allows hair and beauty salons as well as other stores such as shoe and clothes boutiques the chance to open from next Monday.
An initial government schedule had indicated hair and beauty salons would have had to wait another fortnight along with bars and restaurants.
The modified schedule is part of the authorities' attempts to hasten a return to economic activity after two months of lockdown in Italy.
Some media reports indicated, meanwhile, that some bars and restaurants will be able to reopen from Monday although not in the northern Lombardy and Piedmont regions most affected by the pandemic which has cost more than 31,000 lives nationwide.
