Italian museums will gradually begin to open next month, as well as access to the country's main attractions, including the Colosseum and Pompeii. Such plans were announced in an interview with La Repubblica by Dario Franceschini, the acting Minister of Culture and Tourism of Italy.
Recall that the introduction of quarantine in the country caused by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic has led to the closure of all museums and access to all attractions.
Now that the coronavirus COVID-19 in Italy has been curbed, there is hope that the country will gradually return to the previous rhythm of life. The Minister of Culture recalled that the monuments and museums were previously planned to be opened on May 4, but a check on the possibility of observing safety rules showed that not all of them are yet ready to receive visitors. Therefore, it was decided to slightly postpone the dates of their opening.
According to Franceschini, theaters, cinemas and other cultural institutions will experience the greatest difficulties with the opening after the quarantine. Therefore, the country's government will have to implement special measures that will allow them to prepare for the opening. The minister assured that all cultural institutions without exception will receive support from special funds that are already functioning.
Domestic tourism bet
Franceschini also noted that at the moment his department relies exclusively on domestic tourism, which will be supported in every possible way. In particular, each family in the form of special subsidies will receive up to 500 euros in order to relax this summer at any resort in the country.
Nevertheless, the minister stressed that Italy is very much looking forward to foreign tourists. However, the situation in the world is such that it is premature to talk about the timing of the resumption of international tourism due to the closure of borders, as well as due to the suspension of interstate transport links. According to experts, this industry will remain "in quarantine" this year.
Note that Italy closed its museums, attractions, theaters for visitors on March 8 this year. Currently, the country has a quarantine regime that should end on May 3. It has not yet been announced about its extension.
According to official statistics, relatively small Italy ranks third in the world (after the United States and Spain) in terms of the number of people infected with the coronavirus COVID-19. In addition, official data indicate that the country lost almost 26.5 thousand people, which was the second result after the United States, where more than 53.5 thousand people died from COVID-19.
