Italy, the first country in Europe to enter lockdown, starts to emerge

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MAGDA VERGARI, co-owner of the Bar La Lastra in the hills above Florence, used to sell 80 to 100 pastries a day. “Now, I’m ordering 20,” she says gloomily. Despite an easing of Italy’s strict covid-19 lockdown on May 4th, her sales of coffee are also running at a quarter of the normal level. The problem is that customers are not allowed to enjoy their breakfast cappuccino and brioche at the counter. The new rules preserve social distancing, and only allow bars and restaurants to offer takeaways. Ms Vergari’s regulars must consume their purchases in the street outside.

Awkward compromises are at the heart of Italy’s emergence from an eight-week lockdown. More industries have been allowed to resume production. But most shops will stay closed until May 18th. Hairdressers will have to wait until June 1st. But parks have reopened. People can now travel between municipalities, but not between regions without good reason. And Italians can only...