Italy Sanitizes its Churches and Public Spaces as Restrictions Continue to Ease

Authorities in Italy sanitized places of worship and public spaces in May, as efforts to reopen the country continued in the wake of the one of the world’s worst outbreaks of the coronavirus.

Italy, which has been slowly relaxing lockdown measures since early May, outlined plans that would see internal and external travel resume from June 3.

The country’s fire service said its departments took part in 2,398 cleaning operations to date.

It released this footage of one operation on May 16, which shows the Verona Fire Brigade in hazard suits spraying disinfectant inside a church. Churches were among the many spaces closed in late February as the country imposed a nationwide lockdown.

Italy had 224,760 cases and 31,763 deaths by May 17, according to data complied by Johns Hopkins University. Credit: Italian Fire and Rescue service (Vigili del Fuoco) via Storyful