Italy is leaving its people in the dark

Italy’s government has congratulated itself for showing the rest of the Western world how to enforce a lockdown in a democratic society. Nearly two months after that draconian decision, politicians are still keeping their citizens in the dark over the thinking behind their actions.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced that he would lift a number of measures that have restricted liberties and brought the economy near to a halt. As of May 4, the manufacturing and construction sectors will reopen, while people will be allowed to visit relatives, as long as they live in the same region.
Most constraints will remain in place, however. Shops will stay closed for another two weeks, and restaurants will only open their doors in June. Italians will still have to carry a certificate to show the police they have a good reason to go out. They won’t be able to travel between regions, except for specific reasons such as going to work. Schools will stay closed, until September at least.
Yet the ongoing restrictions weren’t the objectionable thing about Conte’s announcement; it was more that he failed to give any sense of what his overall goal really is.
Italy has succeeded in limiting the speed of transmission of Covid-19. The virus reproduction rate — the estimated mean number of people infected by each case — fell to 0.5-0.7 at the start of April, which is below the threshold “1” where growth becomes exponential.
The pressure on hospitals has eased too. The number of patients in intensive care has halved since the epidemic’s peak. Conte’s government may not think this is enough to allow for a wider reopening, but it needs to do much better in explaining why and in letting everybody know what kind
of infection numbers would allow for an end to the other constraints.
The communication of clear goals is critical to maintaining the public’s trust.
It isn’t even clear why some restrictions have been lifted before others. For example, while most shops have to stay closed, bookshops have reopened. Visitors will be allowed into museums as of May 18, but the government for now won’t permit any religious functions with the exception of funerals. These decisions are making Conte’s
administration vulnerable to claims that it’s favouring some sectors over others.
The Italian state is demanding a great deal from its citizens, so it needs to show that it’s handling things competently.
Conte failed to outline how the government intends to tackle the health crisis in this next phase, including tracing the infected and the people they’ve been in contact with, ramping up testing and reorganising hospitals to avoid Covid-19 patients spreading the virus. Italy is developing an app to help with this effort, but the prime minister said nothing about it.

—Bloomberg