Indoor pools and gyms open in Italy

Italians were allowed back into indoor swimming pools and gyms on Monday as the government continued to lift restrictions as part of its phase 2 handling of the coronavirus.

Over the past few weeks stores, museums, coffee bars, restaurants, and malls have opened their doors.  The faithful can now attend religious celebrations.  And as of Monday, athletes can go to the gym.

Daniel Ninci, manager of the Forum Sport Center said they had to disinfect their premises, have their pool checked for bacteria and implement a series of hygienic measures including the use of masks outside the pool and gel disinfectant.

The past weekend was the first time that Italians were allowed to swim and sunbathe at the beach.  The government has imposed strict social distancing rules and asked seaside establishments to make sure umbrellas and beach chairs are kept at a distance.

But at the Ostia beach in Rome on Sunday, social distance was a challenge was a challenge.  Hundreds of people crowded on to the beach and around bars along the town's boardwalk enjoying the warm summer weather, many without face masks.

Police wandered up and down the beach urging people to keep apart.

Italy went into lockdown on March 11 as the virus spread throughout the country. So far over 32,000 people in Italy have died as a result of Covid 19 and over 229,000 have been infected according to the official count.

But in the past few weeks the numbers of new infections has been dropping steadily as have the number of deaths so the government has begun allowing a return to normality.

(Photo Credit: AP)