The gym manager, Roberto Iannaccone
“Outdoor rugs and horses. We bring sport to the lawn “
ROMA – For now on the grass there are the horse, the mushroom and the mats. “For parallels and rings it is more complicated, but maybe who knows … we will be able to equip ourselves later on”. Roberto Iannaccone, 56, from Rome, a lawyer but with a fixed obsession says it with a half smile: sport. A passion that a few years ago led him to open “Eur gymnastics”, a gym in the Torrino district south of Rome. And it is from this green lawn that he begins to hope again after more than a year of “half closure,” he says.
It was hard?
“Very. Apart from the first lockdown where no access was allowed, we had the opportunity to remain open to allow the training of those who compete. But the athletes represent only 30 percent of the entrants. The remaining 70 stayed at home ».
How did you manage to get by economically?
«25 people work with me. At first I tried to advance part of the salaries, then luckily some government bonuses arrived. And by trying to rotate the staff, reducing the hours of work, they all earned a little money “
How are you organizing to leave?
“Now we are organizing courses outside, with the little ones. We have a lot of green available. A way also to give families a breath of fresh air after all these months of forced coexistence ».
(Alessandra Paolini)
The restaurateur, Felice Zingarelli
“I spent everything, even my savings. I start again with distant tables “
GENOA – «I can’t wait to serve the first course. The important thing is to reopen, even if in small steps, because I no longer know how to pay salaries ». Felice Zingarelli with the metro is arranging outdoor tables and umbrellas in De Ferrari, the symbolic square of the city, and along the descent of Salita del Fondaco where Rosmarino, his restaurant, is located, in view of a possible reopening in May for lunch and dinner taking advantage of the outdoor places.
Genoa and many cities are lacking in space, is the hypothesized mandatory distance of two meters between the tables an inapplicable restriction?
“We have to get it into our heads that Covid exists and there are rules to follow if we don’t want to close forever. I lost half of the tables, but thanks to the outdoor area I recovered fifteen of them between the square and the alleys. The problems are for the inside. Those who have a small venue are actually very penalized ».
However, we start again.
«The important thing is that they don’t do like on Valentine’s Day, when they blocked everything at the last moment. It was a disaster. I’m at the limit, take-away is good for pizzerias, not for us: to go on I also spent my savings on kitchen work ».
Will the outdoor formula help you?
“I hope to be able to count on it even in the summer, in the evening: tourists really like eating en plen air”.
(Stefano Origone)
The seaside resort, Antonio Gristina
“Gel and umbrellas every 4 meters. It will look like a normal summer “
PALERMO – It is the symbol of the Palermo summers. In Mondello, the Italo-Belgian company that has always managed the coast, is preparing for the new season, the second post Covid, equipping the beaches with disinfectant gel and obligatory routes to reach the sea. President Antonio Gristina is working to space out the umbrellas and bring back the “huts”, multi-family cabins, which were not assembled last year.
What summer will it be in Mondello?
«A summer of great attention, but I hope as close as possible to an idea of normality. Last year we assembled the plant in a hurry and we had many difficulties that this year we are trying to prevent ».
Is the beach safe?
«In 2020 we didn’t have a single case: I would say yes. We have been very careful to respect the protocols and among the first to appoint an external manager for anti-Covid security plans. On the rest, we are ready: umbrellas four meters away, gel stations, compulsory routes and twice a day sanitization of sunbeds and changing rooms ».
How was the season last year?
“Bad. If the number of subscribers has remained more or less the same, we have lost 35 percent of foreigners who had been our resource in recent years ».
What do you expect for 2021?
«A gradual return to normality. Let’s hope we can have a drink without looking at the clock: last year the beach bars we give out on concession had to close early. There is a need for freedom, while respecting the rules ».
(Sara Scarafia)
The event organizer, Vincenzo Spera
“Let’s think about the new season with concerts from 5 thousand people”
ROMA – Entrepreneur, promoter, organizer of concerts and events with millions of spectators, leader of Assomusica, Vincenzo Spera has studied models and protocols. Now, he says, “the new season must be planned.”
Hope, when do we leave?
“As soon as possible. Presumably on June 1st ».
And how do you leave?
«What we need is to know how to participate, not the amount of people who can participate. In shopping malls or restaurants there is no maximum capacity, but rules ».
Are major events still possible or do they need to be rethought?
“Now we don’t even feel like doing concerts for 50-60 thousand people. We think about locations with 5,000 spectators, taking into account the distance ».
How do you know they are safe?
“There is no evidence of outbreaks even in the events of last summer. But now it is time to do as in Europe ».
Test events to see how it goes?
“Exact. Two shows, one outdoors and one indoors, as in Barcelona and Amsterdam, to be done as soon as possible in one of the most attentive and structured regions for live shows: Lombardy, Lazio, Tuscany or others ».
What will the 2021 concerts be like?
«With masks, distances, online tickets, assigned seats, staggered entrances and exits. It can be done”.
And the obligation of a swab or vaccine?
“Difficult for so many people. And then the tests who pays them? It is the State that should support the organizers both on controls and by establishing a guarantee fund, as in Germany, to cover the costs of events that may need to be canceled due to Covid ».
(Viola Giannoli)
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