Piazza di Spagna deserted is surreal. On the steps of Trinità dei Monti tourists can be counted on the tips of the fingers of one hand. The policemen positioned next to the Barcaccia, whistle in hand, invite those who sit on the steps to get up to look for some refreshment. At the top of the steps, however, at least three vendors abusive they try to escape the agents’ glances to place their goods to visitors: roses, souvenirs, selfie-sticks, various trinkets and bottles of water crammed into who knows where.
With the arrival of the first visitors of the post-Covid era, they too are back: the vucumprà. The appeal of the Councilor for Health of Lazio, Alessio D’Amato, to “wear the masks” to avoid new closures, in the center of Rome remained a dead letter. At least among the irregular. Despite the virus unauthorized vendors are approaching potential customers without wearing personal protective equipment, circulating mainly in the capital of the Bengali community, to which most of the squatters belong.
Even in Fontana di Trevi, among those who offer selfie sticks or take souvenir photos for foreigners, very few cover the nose and mouth with the mask. Meanwhile, in Rome there is a new peak of contagions: yesterday there were 16 new cases, about half of the import, and two deaths. “Covid? I don’t have it,” one of them assures us, before leaving quickly. “We are really worried, in this delicate phase we did not expect dozens of irregular workers to return to office”, Daniela Cavicchia, restaurant in Via del Lavatore, evocative alley a few steps away from the famous eighteenth-century fountain, vented.
He tells us how the raids of the squatters between his tables ristorante have already made her lose several clients. “They approach without the mask – he denounces – and obviously there are those who are afraid and complaining with us, that we are forced to intervene to fix things”. “Someone else, however, just doesn’t accept it, gets up and leaves,” he continues. “At a time like this – adds the entrepreneur of the historic center – for us it represents a huge problem, customers arrive with the dropper and losing even one of them becomes serious damage”.
“There are many Italians who don’t think twice about leaving when they see these scenes outside the premises – he confirms us on the phone Fabrizio Patrizi, restaurateur and president of the Association of Merchants of the Trevi District – now people have become very careful and do not accept this type of behavior. “” Not only do they not wear masks – he explains – but they do not respect in any way the distances, those who sell bracelets, for example, even shake hands with hundreds of people. “The operators are terrified.” We are trying to survive with our nails and teeth and the last thing we thought we had to do was to go back to having to face this malpractice again, “complains the category representative.
Ward merchants announce a series of exposed. “The situation is likely to degenerate, it is not a question of racism but one must be realistic: it is obvious that there is greater concern for certain categories, especially if they are not subject to any type of control and vigilance, besides not following any rules”. “The police are helpless, someone has to intervene”, is the appeal of the restaurateur. “I think that no one – he concludes – wants to take the risk of blowing up new ones outbreaks“.
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