Policy balance
The recent appointment of Sanjay Malhotra as Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), replacing Shaktikanta Das, signals a pivotal shift in India’s monetary policy dynamics.
Italy’s emergency response commissioner Domenico Arcuri begged Italians on Saturday not to lower their guards as the country prepares to ease the world’s longest coronavirus lockdown.
Arcuri said, “On Monday, Phase Two begins. We have to be aware that it will be the start of an even bigger challenge”.
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After a two-month shut down to combat a virus that has killed over 28,000 people, Italians will be allowed to stroll in parks and visit relatives. Restaurants can open for takeout and wholesale stores can resume business.
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Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has said that it may be reintroduced in locally if the numbers begin to rise significantly again.
The emergency response commissioner confirmed the “relative freedom” the country were about to win could be taken away again for health reasons.
During a press briefing,he said, “We must maintain social distancing, maximum hygiene levels, and masks. We’ve done our bit to the best of our ability. From Monday, it’s up to you”.
“I implore you, do not lower your guards”, he further added at a conference.
Some 150,000 people will have their blood tested next week for the new coronavirus as authorities attempt to get a clearer picture of its spread as the lockdown eases. Those tests were expected to begin Monday.
Italy would be producing four million masks a day by mid-June, 25 million by mid-July and 35 million by mid-August, he said.
The country’s death toll jumped on Saturday by the highest number since April 21, after previously uncounted deaths outside hospitals were added in.
The 474 fatalities reported by the civil protection service took the Mediterranean country’s total since February to 28,710, second only to the United States.
The 192 new deaths were the lowest since March 14, and the number of new virus infections stood at 1,900, about a third of the number at the peak of the crisis.
(With inputs from agency)
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