‘We felt dead without bars’: coffee shops reopen, visitors return to Vatican and Colosseum as Italy eases harsh Covid-19 measures
- Fifteen of the nation‘s 20 regions downgraded to ’yellow zones’, meaning coffee bars can serve customers at tables until 6pm
- This is being seen as a ray of hope in a country that was hit hard in the first wave of infections
The familiar tinkling of ceramic cups and chatter returned to coffee bars across most of Italy on Monday, as rigid Covid-19 restrictions were eased.
After severe curbs over the Christmas and New Year period, two-thirds of Italy was declared a “yellow zone”, allowing bars in less risky areas to serve customers at counters and tables again instead of offering only takeaway drinks in plastic cups.
“We felt dead without bars,” said Rome resident Tiziana Baldo after a barista poured her drink in a bar in central Rome. “It is beautiful to come here and talk to the people behind the bar; they make us feel alive every morning before going to work.”
While much of Europe remains in strict lockdown, bars and restaurants in parts of Italy can again serve customers at tables and counters until 6pm. After that, it’s takeaway until 10pm, when a curfew kicks in until 5am the next day.
“I am very happy because at least this big waste of plastic [takeaway cups] will end,” said construction worker Leonardo Angelini, after downing his morning coffee in a bar.